A look at the Defence news 28 July – 3 August
From 8 August, the Netherlands is to contribute to the supply of emergency aid to the population in Gaza. This will be done through airdrops of food and humanitarian goods. For this purpose, Defence will deploy a C-130 transport aircraft, operating from an air base in Jordan. The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Caspar Veldkamp, and the Minister of Defence, Ruben Brekelmans, made an announcement to this effect in the House of Representatives last week.
NATO active in the Arctic under Dutch leadership
The maritime environment in the Arctic and the High North is rapidly changing. Melting sea ice is, for example, creating new shipping routes and making natural resources more accessible. This calls for the protection of critical sea routes and the safeguarding of freedom of navigation in the region. For that reason, NATO has a maritime task force operating in the area, comprising the vessels and aircraft of Standing NATO Maritime Group 1. The NATO fleet is currently under command of Commodore Arjen Warnaar of the Royal Netherlands Navy.