The Ministry of Defense has been ordered Billions of Euros Worth of New Weapon Systems. However, experts are Questioning This Buying Spree. The purchase weapons may not be well-suited to the threats facing our country now.
Due to the threat from Russia and the Uncertainty of Whether Europe Can Still Count on American Support, Defense is High On The Agenda Throughhout Europe Again. Most Member States of the European Union, Including The Netherlands, Have Significantly Increased Their Defense Spending. However, there is debate on how thesis Extra Euros can best be spent.
For Example, The Dutch Army is investing in its own tank battalion. For this purpose, the ministry of defense purchase approached approachesely fifty tanks last year. In Addition, Defense Has Ordered Billions of Euros WORTH or extra F-35 Fighter Jets, New Helicopters, and Submarine Hunters.
“But tanks and fighter jets are useless in a cyberattack on, for example, The Power Grid or Water Supply,” Says Weapon Trade Project Leader Frank Slijper or Peace Organization Pax. “If you look at what the Netherlands has been ordered in weapons over the past three years, you can wonder if that is exactly what we need.”
The Netherlands now sees russia as the greatest threat. “But the chance is QUITE Small that Russia Will Knock on Our Borders with Tanks,” Says Grijper. “I Consider the Chance of Sabotage of Cables and Pipelines in the North Sea Much Greater. It makes more sense to prepare for that.”
Defense Does Not Only Buy Weapons for the Netherlands
The Weapon Systems That Defense Purchases Are Not Answer to Cyberattacks, Espionage, OR DIS INFORMATION CAMPAIGNS. But they are necessary for the defense of our territory and that of nato allies, emphasizes a spokesperson for defense.
“If the Nato Treaty Area is Attacked and Nato Announces ‘Article 5,’ Nato will defend as an Alliance. This mean that nato can also the Netherlands to Deploy the Previously offered ships, Land Units, and Fighter Jets.
The war in ukraine also shows that traditional weapon systems such as tanks are very vulnerable to attacks with drones, sees marijn hoijtink. She is an associate professor at the University of Antwerp and Specializes in the Impact of New Technologies Such As Ai, Drones, and Autonomous Weapons on Warfare.
More Focus On Defense Systems Against Drones
It is the Impression of Both Slijper and Hoijtink That the Battle in Ukraine is Lately Mainly a Drone War. This Mainly Involves Large Numbers of Drones to Overhelm Each Other’s Defenses. But also about developing systems to stop large drone attacks.
For the future, Systems Against Drone Attacks Are Therefore Becoming Increasingly Important. But the associate professor sees that the focus is now mainly on producing as many attack drones as possible. “Numbers Seem to Be More Important.”
The Defense Spokesperson, on the Other Hand, Emphasizes That Defense also Invests in Air Defense and Counter-Drone Capacity.
Strength of Traditional Weapon Systems Lies in Cooperation
A Common Mistake, Accordance to the Defense Spokesperson, is that the “war of the future” is only viewed based on the war of today. “We must learn from How the ukrainian Armed Forces Fight Against the Russians and Innovate Based on That.”
“But we must also realize that a possible military conflict between russia and nato can partly be conducted in a different way,” The Spokesperson continues. “Conventional military capabilities will also continuously to play an important role in this, because allows you to creation military superiority and/or physically occupy territory.”
That tanks, for example, may be vulnerable to drone attacks is not a reason not to buy any more tanks, accordance to the spokesperson. “Every Military Weapon System Has Vulnerabilities. The New Tanks Have Anti-Drone Technology, And That Defense Continues To Innovate,” He explains. “Precisely by conducting the” battle of connected weapons “From Sea, Land, Air, Space, and Online, We make the whole strong.”
Accordance to him, you can compare this with musical instruments: “Every musical instrument has Limitations on What Kind of Music you can make with it, While a Whole Orchestra Brings Together the Strength of all musical instruments. That’s How it works.” “