Netherlands wants to double army personnel, NOS reports
Published by Global Banking & Finance Review®
Posted on March 21, 2025
1 min readLast updated: January 24, 2026

Published by Global Banking & Finance Review®
Posted on March 21, 2025
1 min readLast updated: January 24, 2026

The Netherlands plans to expand its army to 200,000, focusing on reservists, amid European defense strategy shifts.
AMSTERDAM (Reuters) - The Netherlands wants to increase its army personnel from 74,000 to 200,000, with a special focus on enlarging the reservist capacity, Dutch public broadcaster NOS said, citing sources close to the matter.
The NOS report did not provide a timeline.
Government data of the Netherlands, a NATO alliance member, shows that the Dutch army currently consists of 42,305 professional soldiers, 24,212 staff and 7,483 reservists.
The Dutch Defence ministry did not immediately reply to an emailed request for comment.
Fears about Russia and doubts about the future of U.S. protection are driving European nations to rethink their defence policies. On Wednesday, an EU blueprint said Europe should further boost military spending, pool resources on joint defence projects and buy more European arms.
Another NATO nation, Poland, wants to offer military training to 100,000 volunteers by 2027.
(Reporting by Charlotte Van Campenhout; Editing by Andrew Cawthorne)
The article discusses the Netherlands' plan to expand its army personnel to 200,000, focusing on reservists.
The expansion is driven by fears of Russian aggression and doubts about U.S. protection.
Poland plans to train 100,000 volunteers, and the EU suggests increased military spending.
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