THE HAGUE, October 27. /TASS/. Dutch Armed Forces Commander General Onno Eichelsheim said the country needed to prepare for a full-scale conflict but did not specify which one.
"We must prepare for a large-scale conflict, although we cannot say with certainty what it will look like," Eichelsheim wrote on his page on X.
Eichelsheim’s remarks come amid a major expansion of the kingdom’s military capabilities. According to a draft budget presented on September 15, 28.9 billion euros is planned to be allocated for defense in 2027. By 2030, the Defense Ministry aims to increase its personnel, including military personnel, reservists and civilian staff, to more than 100,000. The ministry cites, among other reasons, alleged "threats" from Russia to justify the expansion of the country’s military capabilities.
Moscow has repeatedly rejected claims that Russia allegedly plans to attack NATO countries. Russian President Vladimir Putin has described such statements by Western politicians as attempts to intimidate their own populations and justify increased military spending. Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov, in turn, has said that the alliance is pursuing a policy of "rampant militarization" and that portraying Russia as a "threat" is being used to justify a decision to raise NATO member states’ defense spending to 5% of gross domestic product.