Netherlands considers military deployment against COVID-19
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.
Related Equipment in Defence Insight
More from Naval Warfare
-
![Funding for the future US Navy Trump-class battleship sparks controversy in Congress]()
Funding for the future US Navy Trump-class battleship sparks controversy in Congress
Lawmakers question the US Navy’s proposed $2 billion investment in the Trump-class battleship as concerns over cost, technology maturity and operational relevance fuel growing bipartisan scrutiny on Capitol Hill.
-
![UK’s Type 31 frigate balances cost pressure with long-term export ambition]()
UK’s Type 31 frigate balances cost pressure with long-term export ambition
The UK shipbuilder’s full-year results to the end of March revealed the impact of the £140 million charge linked to design changes and rework on the Royal Navy’s Type 31 frigate programme.
-
![Can Portugal solve NATO’s uncrewed systems development challenge?]()
Can Portugal solve NATO’s uncrewed systems development challenge?
NATO has spent more than a decade building one of the world’s most sophisticated maritime uncrewed experimentation ecosystems, but still lacks a way to translate this testing into alliance-wide operational capability. Portugal now believes it has the answer.
