Netherlands Armed Forces

The Netherlands Armed Forces are the military forces of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. The armed forces consist of four service branches: the Royal Netherlands Navy, the Royal Netherlands Army, the Royal Netherlands Air and Space Force and the Royal Netherlands Marechaussee. The service branches are supplemented by various joint support organizations. In addition, local conscript forces exist on the Dutch Caribbean islands of Aruba and Curaçao. These operate under the auspices of the Royal Netherlands Navy and the Netherlands Marine Corps. The armed forces are part of the Ministry of Defence.
Supreme command of the armed forces is determined in Article 97 of the constitution, which states "The Government shall have supreme authority over the armed forces". Service members swear allegiance to the King in his role as head of state.
The military ranks of the Netherlands armed forces are similar to those of fellow NATO member states and were established by Royal Decree. The highest-ranking officer in the Dutch military is the Chief of Defence, who is a four-star officer.
After initial cooperation with the German army in 1995 through a Münster-located corps and increasing cross-linking during the following decades, all three Royal Netherlands Army combat brigades have fully integrated into German divisions as of March 2023.
In 2024 the Netherlands Armed Forces was awarded the Wateler Peace Prize.

Foundation in law and purpose

The Netherlands armed forces exist by declaration in the constitution of the Netherlands. Article 97 of the constitution determines that the armed forces exist

To defend the Kingdom of the Netherlands and its interests in the world; and
To protect and advance the international rule of law.

This means that the role and responsibility of the Dutch military in international stability and peacekeeping is constitutionally determined.
The same article of the constitution determines that supreme command of the Dutch military resides with the Government of the Netherlands. This has been the case since the constitution was changed in 1983; before then, supreme command of the armed forces of the Netherlands was held by the Monarch.

Overview

Organization

The existence of, authority over, and tasks of the armed forces are determined in the constitution of the Netherlands. The Government, which consists of cabinet members led by the Prime Minister and the King, functions as the head of the armed forces. Although service members swear allegiance to the King of the Netherlands, the monarch does not hold the position of commander-in-chief. Therefore, in practice, important decisions are made by Cabinet, while the Minister of Defence assumes political responsibility over the Ministry.
The Ministry of Defence is the government ministry which is responsible for formulating and executing defence policy. The ministry consists of the Minister, State Secretary, the Central Staff, the Netherlands Armed Forces and two independent support organizations. The Central Staff of the Ministry comprises several directorates responsible for executing policy, advising the Minister and State Secretary, and controlling the Defence organization. The Central Staff is led by the highest civil servant of the defence organization, the Secretary General. Moreover, the Central Staff incorporates the Defence Staff, which is the highest military organ under command of the Chief of Defence. The Chief of Defence is the military leader of the Netherlands Armed Forces and the most senior military adviser to the Minister of Defence. The Chief of Defence has command over the Armed Forces, the Netherlands Special Operations Command and the Defence Cyber Command. Several special executive organizations, including the Military Intelligence and Security Service and the office of the Inspector General, are incorporated into the Central Staff as well.

Personnel

The Netherlands Armed Forces are a professional military, conscription in the Netherlands having been suspended in 1996 with the exception of Aruba and Curaçao. All military branches are open to female recruits. In 2018 the Ministry of Defence announced that the submarine service will begin accepting female recruits for positions as officer, NCO and sailor.
The Dutch Ministry of Defence employs over 70,000 personnel, including both civilian and military personnel. The distribution of personnel in the Defence organization, including the Armed Forces, on 1 September 2025 was as follows:

Service	Military	Reserve	Civilian	Total
Navy	7324	1826	3226	12,411
Army	17806	4873	3,927	26,606
Air and Space Force	7051	1067	1349	9,467
Marechaussee	7405	484	986	8,874
Central Staff	1,336	32	3116	4,484
Defence Support Command	2,602	179	8023	10,804
Materiel and IT Command	721	14	5941	6,776
Total	44,245	8,510	26,568	79,323

In March 2025 it was announced that the Dutch government wants to increase the size of the Netherlands Armed Forces from 70,000 to 200,000 personnel.

Ranks

The Dutch military is part of the NATO militaries and therefore conforms to the structure of a NATO military. It also uses conforming rank structures.

Oath

All Dutch military personnel, officers and enlisted personnel, are required to take an oath of allegiance. This oath is recorded in the law on General Military Personnel Regulations in Article 126a and states the following:
Translated in English:

Unionized military

Unlike many military organizations, Dutch military members are allowed to form and join unions.
There is a wide variety of unions, including unions exclusive to officers or particular service branches. Some of the larger unions include:

Algemene Federatie van Militair Personeel, which was recognized by the Dutch government in 1966. The AFMP is a member of the Federation of Dutch Trade Unions.
Algemeen Christelijke Organisatie van Militairen. The ACOM is a member of the Christian National Trade Union Federation.
Gezamenlijke Officieren Verenigingen en Middelbaar en Hoger Burgerpersoneel bij Defensie
Vakbond voor Defensiepersoneel VBM.
Service branches

Royal Netherlands Navy

The Royal Netherlands Navy is the Netherlands Armed Forces' maritime force which consists of 24 commissioned ships and an additional number of support ships of various types. The Navy is commanded by the Commander of the Royal Netherlands Navy, an officer in the rank of Vice Admiral or Lieutenant General of the Marines, who reports directly to the Chief of Defence. In addition to being the commanding officer of the Royal Netherlands Navy, the Commandant Zeestrijdkrachten holds the position of Admiral Benelux. As such, the Commandant Zeestrijdkrachten is the commanding officer of the operational units of the Royal Netherlands Navy and the Belgian Naval Component.
The surface fleet of the Navy consist of frigates, amphibious warfare ships, patrol vessels, mine-countermeasure vessels and multiple auxiliary ships. All major surface vessels of the Royal Netherlands Navy are constructed at the Dutch shipyard Damen Schelde Naval Shipbuilding. This includes the technologically advanced air-defence frigates of the De Zeven Provinciën-class. Thales Nederland produces various types of high-end sensors and radars for the Dutch fleet.
The Royal Netherlands Navy Submarine Service was established in 1906 and is responsible for the operation of all Dutch submarines. As of 2021, the Onderzeedienst operates four Walrus-class submarines and one submarine tender, HNLMS Mercuur. The Dutch submarines fulfill a considerable role within NATO as their small size and expeditionary capacities allow them to operate in waters that are off-limits to larger submarines. The Ministry of Defence initiated a replacement program in November 2014. in March 2024 the winning bid was announced with the newer class being called Orka-class and are planned to enter service in the late 2030s.

Netherlands Marine Corps

The Netherlands Marine Corps is the Navy's naval infantry corps. The Corps consist of two battalion-sized Marine Combat Groups, various support units and the Netherlands Maritime Special Operations Forces. The Marines are specialized in amphibious, arctic and mountain warfare as well as special operations. The Corps operates a fleet of landing craft that can operate from one of the two Navy's amphibious transport docks.
File:Luchtmobiele brigade mali.jpg|left|thumb|Troops of 11 Air Assault Brigade disembarking a CH-47D Chinook in Mali.

Royal Netherlands Army

The Royal Netherlands Army consists of regular Army personnel and the National Reserve Corps. The Army is headed by the Commander of the Royal Netherlands Army, its headquarters are located on the Kromhoutkazerne in Utrecht. The core fighting element of the Army consist of three combat brigades: 11 Airmobile Brigade, 13 Light Brigade and 43 Mechanized Brigade. The brigade-sized Operational Support Command Land fields a variety of combat support and combat service support units while the Army's special operations forces are part of the Korps Commandotroepen. The Army's infantry regiments fulfil several distinct roles, these include air assault, armoured infantry, light infantry and special operations. Furthermore, the Army fields cavalry, artillery, engineering and medical regiments.

Royal Netherlands Air and Space Force

The Royal Netherlands Air and Space Force is the military aviation and space warfare branch of the Netherlands Armed Forces and is led by the Commander of the Royal Netherlands Air and Space Force. The Air and Space Force operates a diverse fleet of fixed-wing and rotary aircraft, in addition to operating and maintaining multiple airbases. Moreover, Air and Space Force personnel contributes to the Joint Ground-based Air Defence Command by operating various air-defence systems while other units are dedicated to force protection. The Air and Space Force operates modern fighter aircraft, such as the F-16 Fighting Falcon and F-35 Lightning II, tankers, transports, helicopters, unmanned aerial vehicles, and various types of training aircraft. Until 2025, the Royal Netherlands Air and Space Force was called the Royal Netherlands Air Force.
File:Koninklijke Marechaussee Schiphol met gepantserde Toyota Land Cruiser.jpg|thumb|left|Marechaussee providing security at Amsterdam Airport Schiphol with armoured Toyota Land Cruiser.