Netherlands, Germany plan to merge their land combat units
Against the backdrop of the Ukrainian events, EU and NATO allies – the Netherlands and Germany – are joining their military forces, Bloomberg reports
As the publication notes with reference to the spokesperson of the Royal Netherlands Army, Major Mark van de Beek, at the moment the parties are working on the integration of the 13th Light Brigade of the Netherlands Army into the German Army’s 10th Panzer.
It is also underlined that the Dutch land force has three combat brigades and two of them are already integrated into the German military.
The merger of the last remaining 3,000-soldier brigade may come as early as April but the Dutch government has yet to make its final decision, said Van de Beek. The integration plans reportedly do not include the Dutch Army’s special forces units.
According to the Dutch newspaper NRC, The plan will result in a joint force of around 50,000 military personnel, with roughly 8,000 soldiers coming from the Netherlands.
Van de Beek added that the Netherlands and Germany are also looking into joint purchases of military equipment and alignment of military regulations.
The Dutch land force has about 22,000 troops, according to Voennoye Obozrenie (Military Review) portal.
