New focus and effectiveness for cyber and drones
Category: Defence industry, Regulatory Compliance
The Dutch Ministry of Defence (MoD) has once again achieved a number of results in the field of defense industry and innovation. One important result is the strategic partnership with VDL Groep. The province of Limburg and VDL are making €15 million and €10 million available for this respectively. These investments are intended, among other things, for the development of a production location for the Ministry of Defence in Born. The plans stem from the Defence Strategy for Industry and Innovation. The focus is on “strength”, with a view to creating a broad industrial base.
Focus on drones and ammunition
The Ministry of Defence is seeking to significantly accelerate the expansion of its capabilities to detect, track and neutralize unwanted drones. Since unmanned systems, such as kamikaze drones, unmanned vehicles and robots, dominate the modern battlefield, their development and production are booming. The Netherlands and other Western allies want to equip themselves with these systems as quickly as possible. Earlier this year, it was decided to invest €125 million in combat support with drones and countermeasures. Drones now play a crucial role in modern warfare. The Ministry of Defence is therefore purchasing more attack drones, reconnaissance systems and means of protection against drone attacks.
This year, the organisation is launching a challenge for rapid anti-drone solutions. This is being done in collaboration with Defport. Within this public-private platform, the Ministries of Defence and Economic Affairs are working closely with industry, financial institutions and knowledge institutes. Read on here for the procurement procedure for defence equipment and services contracts.
The Ministry of Defence is also taking steps to set up ammunition production in the Netherlands. At the end of this year, the organisation will approach the market to enable the production of safe drone ammunition. In addition, the Ministry of Defence is focusing on, among other things, the reuse of raw materials from old ammunition and cooperation with the chemical sector.
Greater effectiveness in the cyber domain
The Defence Cyber Strategy (DCS) has been revised to better protect the Netherlands and its allies against ever-growing cyber threats. The new cyber strategy clarifies how the Ministry of Defence must, wants to and can deploy its cyber capabilities against cyber threats, both against the Netherlands and against allies. The number and scale of cyber attacks on Dutch interests and the Ministry of Defence continue to increase. This requires a strong defence organisation with combat power in the cyber domain. Proactive and permanent deployment is necessary to counter cyber threats, including in the “grey zone” between war and peace that can currently be observed. This means that aggressive cyber actors must be identified more quickly. In the event of armed conflict, the Netherlands must be able to disrupt attacks and render instruments unusable through cyber means. With this strategy, the MoD is opting for a more offensive approach. The MoD is also investing in the necessary personnel and capabilities. Everything is geared towards keeping the Netherlands digitally secure. The armed forces will also continue to invest in cooperation with other departments, private parties, knowledge institutions and allies.
For more information on the License for Military Goods: Export, Import & Transit in the Netherlands read on here.
More research and collaboration with entrepreneurs
The Ministry of Defence, together with the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science, is investing €35 million in research into smart materials and quantum technology, among other things. The organisation is also making it easier to collaborate with entrepreneurs. This is being done by building a national network of regional innovation partnerships, coordinated by Orchestrating Defence Innovation (ODIN). The plans stem from the Defence Strategy Industry and Innovation (D-SII), which focuses on the pillars “strong” (broad industrial base), “smart” (excellence in five technology areas, including intelligent systems and sensor technology) and “together” (achieving goals with partners).
All these actions contribute to reducing dependence on other countries and increasing strategic autonomy. Knowledge development is the foundation for the further development and innovation of the armed forces.
Blenheim is happy to share it’s knowledge and expertise for entrepreneurs with focus on the Dutch defense industry.