Netherlands announces Defence White Paper including restoration of tank battalion

According to the document, the Dutch Armed Forces require an investment of EUR 24 billion over the coming years. The funding is necessary as the current military forces are deemed insufficient to actively contribute to deterring potential adversaries of both the Netherlands and its allies. Among the proposed initiatives is the formation of a tank battalion, likely equipped with German Leopard 2A8 tanks. The battalion is expected to consist of approximately 50 tanks (estimated between 44 and 58 tanks, plus specialist vehicles) and around 350 soldiers. The cost of forming the unit is projected to be between EUR 260-315 million annually over the next fifteen years, totalling EUR 3.9-4.725 billion. These costs encompass personnel, operational expenses, and the creation and maintenance of necessary infrastructure.

The additional funding will enable the Netherlands to meet this objective, partly thanks to the allocation of an extra EUR 2.4 billion for defence spending this year. This increase will allow the Netherlands to finally fulfil NATO’s requirement of allocating 2% of GDP to defence. The restoration of the tank battalion will transform the 43rd Mechanised Brigade into a fully capable Dutch heavy brigade. Furthermore, Dutch Army’s Boxer armoured personnel carriers, currently part of the 13th Light Brigade, will be upgraded by replacing their light weaponry with turrets equipped with rapid-fire cannons and potentially anti-tank guided missiles.

Historically, the Netherlands maintained a well-developed armoured force. During the Cold War, Dutch tank crews operated nearly 1,000 tanks, including 445 Leopard 2 tanks purchased in the 1970s and 1980s, which were modified to the Leopard 2A4NL variant, distinguished by changes in communication systems, smoke grenade launchers, and machine guns. The Netherlands was the first export customer and the largest foreign buyer of the Leopard 2. Some tanks were later upgraded to the Leopard 2A5NL standard, with a few advancing to the A6NL variant. However, following the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, the Netherlands began reducing its armoured forces, selling tanks to countries such as Canada, Portugal, Norway, and Finland, and ultimately decommissioning its last tanks in 2011.

In response to the Crimean crisis and the conflict in Donbas, the Dutch government decided to collaborate with Germany, joining the 414th Tank Battalion in which the Netherlands contributed a company equipped with the last 18 Leopard 2A6NL tanks (some sources indicate only 16 tanks, now modernised to the A7 version). This battalion was integrated into the 43rd Mechanised Brigade, which was subsequently subordinated to the German 1st Panzer Division. Discussions regarding the independent operation of tanks and the re-establishment of a Dutch tank battalion had been ongoing in the Netherlands since 2015, but funding constraints had previously hindered progress.