January 16, 2012 defpro.com
As the Dutch army sheds tanks due to budget cuts, Dutch soldiers should train on German tanks so military expertise is not lost, army commander General Mart de Kruif says.
Talks with the German army on using German tanks in Dutch military exercises are under way, General De Kruif says in an interview with Dutch daily Trouw. “From a military viewpoint, we have yet
to reach the limit of our cooperation,” the general added.
Tanks remain an essential asset, also during foreign missions, according to General De Kruif. “You need the tank’s effect – fire power, mobility and armour – to dominate an adversary on the
ground,” the general claims.
Earlier this week, Dutch Defence Minister Hans Hillen stressed the need for military cooperation in a speech he gave at the Atlantic Council in Washington. “To maintain NATO in the current
economic crisis as a safety guarantee it is necessary that the participants continue to expand their cooperation,” the minister said. (RNW)
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