Commander De Gruijter of Eindhoven Air Base seriously considers a war involving the Netherlands within three to four years. According to him, the air base can then play a crucial role.
The commander is willing to open up to Omroep Brabant about what we can expect. “That does not mean that Russians will actually drive through the streets here locally, but that we will be threatened in a different way and that a lot of activities will take place here”.
He expects that the Netherlands will then be hit by non-military means. “Our power grid will be affected, for example. Or that the internet will no longer work. Or the water supply. That threat will therefore manifest itself differently”. He also thinks that espionage could take place here. “And possibly sabotage. But we are trying to prevent that together by deterring”.
Major role
The commander expects that the role of Eindhoven Air Base will be major if a large-scale war breaks out. “This air base is one of the points from which people and material are transported to the east. Think of American units or other NATO units that make a stopover here and are then transported to the east. So we expect that a lot of logistics will take place here to ultimately support the conflict towards the east”.
The commander expects that it will be so large-scale that even companies will have to help. “For example, transport companies. Not only in the air, but also on the ground and at sea. From my perspective, it is of course about air. Discussions about this are being held by the air force with various parties”.
Fight Tonight
The commander uses the principle of ‘Fight Tonight’. “That is part of the mindset. Ultimately, we have to realise that we may have to fight tonight. Of course, we do not assume that, but we do have to be able to do so. And that is also what we are intended for”.
The principle of ‘Fight Tonight’ is being further expanded at Eindhoven Air Base with ‘Fight Together’. In September, there was another large, international exercise during Operation Falcon Leap. This was an exercise with military personnel from various countries. The air force and the army participated. The aircraft that dropped parachutists, among other things, always took off from Eindhoven Air Base and returned there.
“You have to train well. As we say: ‘Train hard, Fight easy’. Training also deters you. Because then you show what capacity you have. So on the one hand it is good for our people that we are able to do what we have to do. On the other hand we also show that we are actually capable of doing it. And that makes the threshold for the opponent higher”.
Appreciation
Due to developments in the world, the commander notices that the air base is viewed differently. “We really notice the appreciation from the environment. The way in which people respond to our activities is also much more positive than in the past. You can see that, for example, in the number of complaints we receive”.
Those complaints have decreased by a thousand, if you compare the past quarter with the same period last year. From 1,500 to 500. “Of course, that cannot only be linked to the fact that people have more understanding for defense. But it does show how well we are connected to that environment”.
The threat of a large-scale war does a lot to the commander. “I really feel that too: the responsibility towards my own people, towards my unit and of course also towards my environment and the Netherlands. So we really do everything we can to be ready. Not only today, but also tomorrow. I am not losing any sleep over it yet”.
Source: Studio040
Translated by: Bob
