The Netherlands Ministry of Defence has said that the country’s armed forces will provide support to health professionals where and when necessary, to help deal with the impact of the COVID-19 coronavirus.
Defence minister Ank Bijleveld-Schouten said that the Netherlands has not needed to deploy military personnel yet but the ministry is considering a range of potential scenarios.
She also hinted that military medical facilities could be used for COVID-19 patients such as the military hospital in Utrecht which has quarantine capabilities and suitable ventilation.
Royal Netherlands Navy (RNLN) amphibious transport vessels such as HNLMS Johan de Witt, HNLMS Rotterdam and HLMS Karel Doorman(pictured) each include sickbays to host patients with infectious diseases. They also have operating theatres and 30 intensive care beds which may be required.
HLMS Karel Doorman was deployed to West Africa in 2014 to help contain the outbreak of Ebola in that region.
As of 18 March, 2,051 people had tested positive for coronavirus in the Netherlands.
Forming part of the Reconciliation Bill, the funding will support multiple efforts involving autonomous capabilities, interceptors, missiles, rockets and torpedoes.
The delivery acceptance of the future USS Pierre marks the conclusion of the construction phase for the Independence-variant.
The new Barracuda version has been engineered to perform enhanced subsea and seabed warfare missions.
The nearly $25 billion investment will cover USCG procurement of cutters, aircraft, helicopters, training simulators and Polar capabilities over the next four years.
After commissioning, FRC Frederick Mann will operate in Alaska and perform multiple missions.
The US Coast Guard (USCG) created new units, including five Programme Executive Offices (PEOs), to facilitate and speed up the procurement of new capabilities.
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