Netherlands trains reservists as royal recruitment lifts turnout
Their faces painted with camouflage, reservists in the Netherlands emerged from a forest holding Colt C7 rifles as they trained to spot threats during a weekend exercise in eastern Netherlands.
The reservists were members of the 10th Infantry Battalion Guard Security Corps National Reserve, and the drill focused on honing skills as the Dutch government works to increase its military capacity through new recruits and volunteers. Dutch authorities have said the plan aims to raise the number of military personnel from 80,000 to 120,000 by 2035, with support across political parties.
The training and recruitment push comes as European leaders and alliance officials grapple with the risk calculus shaped by Russia’s war on Ukraine, as well as concerns that Vladimir Putin could be ready to launch an attack elsewhere in Europe in the coming years. NATO and EU officials have pointed to a three- to five-year window, particularly if Russia’s war effort succeeds.
Against that backdrop, the Netherlands’ government said it was also responding to a shift in what reservists expect to do, and how they train for it. A corporal in the Dutch reserve battalion, speaking on condition of anonymity because of the nature of her service, said that when she first joined there was “almost no risk or almost no threat,” but that the situation has since changed. She described a change in priorities toward “green things” and infantry-focused tasks, saying they are “here to defend our country and to make sure to keep the threat down.”
The recruitment drive has received a high-profile boost from the Dutch royal family. The Associated Press reported that Queen Maxima and her eldest daughter and heir, Amalia, Princess of Orange, have enrolled as volunteer reservists, with widely circulated photos showing Maxima training and aiming a pistol at a shooting range. Dutch officials described the royal involvement as a catalyst for recruitment momentum, with one internal label for the effect being “the Amalia effect.”
State Secretary for Defense Derk Boswijk said there are about 9,000 reservists in the Netherlands, and recruiters aim to have at least 20,000 by 2030. In remarks published through The Associated Press, Boswijk said the Netherlands has had more applications than it can handle, while the military has to work through shortages including “a lack of training capacity” and “a lack of housing.” He added that providing newcomers with uniforms and weapons is part of the challenge, calling it “a luxury problem.”
European countries have been moving in parallel to expand and modernize their forces as alliance planning emphasizes preparation for large battles. The Associated Press report said German lawmakers were considering a government plan to offer better pay and conditions for people who join on a short-term basis, seeking recruits without reviving conscription for now. France, it said, is also leaning into voluntary service, including a program starting in September to recruit 3,000 volunteers aged 18 to 25, with the goal of attracting up to 50,000 volunteers per year by 2035.
In northern and eastern Europe, where the threat from Russia is felt more directly, the report described a range of approaches that still include conscription in some places and lottery systems where volunteer numbers fall short. The Netherlands, by contrast, has suspended call-ups since 1997 and has no immediate plans to reintroduce them, with the Defense Ministry instead seeking to broaden who joins and to make service more attractive.
Reservists in the Netherlands commit to 300 hours of service each year, including weekend exercises, and traditionally handle tasks such as securing domestic sites rather than deploying overseas for combat missions. The Associated Press description of the weekend drill ended with a scenario in which volunteers trained on detaining an intruder role during an exercise sequence, then broke down their camp and returned to their day jobs. The report said the reservists could also be used in national emergencies, such as operations involving sandbags during severe flooding.