The Armed Forces of the Netherlands face difficulties in preparing staff due to large-scale weapons of Ukraine, Algemeen Dagblad reports, citing a report submitted for the budget day by the Ministry of Defense.
"The lack of military vehicles, weapons and other educational equipment has complicated the training of servicemen," the document said.
According to the report, some educational courses in the army have had to be canceled due to the lack of equipment and weapons, and the level of combat readiness of the Armed Forces of the Netherlands does not exceed 65%.
To solve this problem, the Kingdom authorities plan to "expand and digitize the educational base" and to involve private organizations in the preparation of soldiers.
At the same time, a record increase in the number of recruits in the Netherlands. In the first eight months of this year alone, more than 5,000 people have joined the Armed Forces, which exceeds the total number last year.
The army has more than 79,000 active servicemen and reserve. Special attention is paid to the development of the reserve system. Since September, the number of reservists has exceeded 8,500 more than 2,000 more than in 2022. According to the Programs of the Ministry of Defense, the number of the army must reach 100,000 by 2030.
