Netherlands Armed Forces

{{country data {{{1}}} | Military/core | variant = | size = | name = }} The military of the Netherlands is composed of four branches, all of which carry the prefix Koninklijke (Royal):

• Koninklijke Landmacht (KL), the Royal Netherlands Army.
• Koninklijke Marine (KM), the Royal Netherlands Navy, including the Naval Air Service and Marine Corps.
• Koninklijke Luchtmacht (KLu), the Royal Netherlands Air Force
• Koninklijke Marechaussee (KMar), the Royal Military Police, tasks include military police and border control.

Conscription in the Netherlands was suspended in 1996. All military specialities, except the Submarine service and Marine Corps, are open to women. The Dutch Ministry of Defence employs 68,000 personnel, including both civilian and military personnel.

Budget rise

The current budget for the military is 7.9 billion euros, preparations are now being made to expand the budget to 12.7 billion euros. This is due to the new NATO standard for military expenditures, which is to be 2.0% of the GDP. These plans will be completed around 2012.

References and links

• Template:CIA WFB 2006
• Netherlands

External links

• Official homepage of the Ministry of Defense
• Official homepage of the Royal Netherlands Air Force
• Official homepage of the Royal Netherlands Army
• Official homepage of the Royal Netherlands Navy
• Official homepage of the Royal Military Police
• Military aircraft in the Netherlands