The Netherlands is considering recreating its own tank battalion amid Russia’s war in Ukraine. The current defense budget doesn’t cover the costs of setting up a tank battalion, and such a decision would require additional money and would be up to the next government, according to the Dutch Defence Minister Kajsa Ollongren and State Secretary of Defence Christophe van der Maat. NATO’s defense-planning capability review released in 2022 noted shortcomings for the Dutch military in land-based power and combat support. The government of Prime Minister Mark Rutte took on a caretaker role after elections in November while a new Cabinet is negotiated.
A tank battalion costs between €260 million and €315 million (U.S. $280 millions and U.S. $339 million) a year. The Dutch 2024 defense budget increased to €21.4 billion from about €15 billion, but does not include funding for tanks. Amid Russia’s ongoing war against Ukraine, NATO members in July last year pledged to spend at least 2% of their gross domestic product annually on defense, with 20% of defense funding allocated for major equipment. The German government last summer invited the Dutch to a joint purchasing initiative for the Leopard 2 A8 main battle tank. The Czech Republic said it was in advanced negotiations with Germany for the A8 variant, and the Netherlands is seeking to join the Franco-German Main Ground Combat System project.
Rudy Ruitenberg is a Europe correspondent for Defense News. He started his career at Bloomberg News and has experience reporting on technology, commodity markets and politics.
