The Netherlands will add specialized drone operators and counter-drone units to its combat brigades starting in April, according to Dutch Chief of Defence Gen. Onno Eichelsheim, who said the country is the first to take that step.
The Dutch armed forces already incorporate drones in their operations, and will expand that capability “significantly” by deploying 1,000 to 1,200 personnel specifically for drone and counter-drone operations, Eichelsheim said in the WNL Op Zondag podcast.
“The lessons identified and learned from the war in Ukraine were in any case that unmanned systems were going to play a much greater role,” Eichelsheim said. “We’re seeing that now in the Middle East, and the same goes for the conflict with Iran.”
Eichelsheim said drone warfare requires a “completely different approach” to collaborating with industry on the front lines, as systems require continuous modernization and adaptation. That includes radars that have to be adjusted to respond to threats, or unmanned systems that become either more or less effective over time, the defense chief said.
Armed forces across Europe have been trying to figure out how to adapt to an era of mass drone warfare, with Russia and Ukraine each using millions of drones a year in their war that has entered its fifth year. The Netherlands in December ordered Skyranger anti-drone cannons from Rheinmetall to protect maneuvering troops as well as static sites.
