The Netherlands Armed Forces are the military forces of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. The armed forces consist of four service branches:the Royal Netherlands Navy,the Royal Netherlands Army,the Royal Netherlands Air Force and the Royal Netherlands Marechaussee. The service branches are supplemented by various joint support organizations. In addition,local conscript forces exist on the Dutch Caribbean islands of Aruba and Curaçao. These operate under the auspices of the Royal Netherlands Navy and the Netherlands Marine Corps. The armed forces are part of the Ministry of Defence.
The Netherlands Marine Corps is the elite naval infantry corps of the Royal Netherlands Navy,one of the four Armed Forces of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. The marines trace their origins to the establishment of the Regiment de Marine on 10 December 1665,by the then grand pensionary of the Dutch Republic,Johan de Witt and famous Admiral Michiel de Ruyter. It is the second-oldest still-active marine corps in the world.
The green beret was the official headdress of the British Commandos,a special-forces unit active during World War II. It is still worn by members of the Royal Marines after passing the Commando Course,and personnel from other units of the Royal Navy,Army and RAF who serve within 3 Commando Brigade and who have passed the All Arms Commando Course.
The Military William Order,or often named Military Order of William,is the oldest and highest honour of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. It is named after St. William of Gellone (755–814),the first Prince of Orange. Its motto is Voor Moed,Beleid en Trouw. The chivalric order was established on 30 April 1815 by King William I and was presented for feats of excellent bravery on the battlefield and as a meritorious decoration to senior military officers. Comparable with the French Légion d’Honneur but far less often awarded,it is open to everyone regardless of rank or nobility—not only to Dutch military,but also to foreigners. To date,membership in the Order is extremely rarely awarded,and only for exceptional bravery in battle.
The Royal Netherlands Army is the land branch of the Netherlands Armed Forces. Though the Royal Netherlands Army was raised on 9 January 1814,its origins date back to 1572,when the Staatse Leger was raised making the Dutch standing army one of the oldest in the world. It fought in the Napoleonic Wars,World War II,the Indonesian War of Independence and the Korean War,as well as served with NATO on the Cold War frontiers in West Germany from the 1950s to the 1990s.
The Royal Military Academy is the service academy for the Dutch Army,the Dutch Air Force and the Royal Marechaussee. Located in Breda,Southern Netherlands,the KMA has trained future officers since 1828.
Korps Speciale Troepen was a Royal Netherlands East Indies Army (KNIL) special forces unit that was established for deployment against the Indonesian revolutionaries during the Indonesian National Revolution. It was formed in 1948 with the Depot Speciale Troepen at its core and disbanded alongside the Royal Netherlands East Indies Army in 1950,by which time it had been renamed to the Regiment Speciale Troepen. The DST consisted of about 570 men at its establishment in 1945 and had a precursor in the Korps Insulinde that conducted clandestine operations during the Japanese occupation of the Dutch East Indies. In June 1949,250 men of the 1st Parachute Company were integrated into the Corps. The KST,which would reach a maximum strength of 1250 men,was composed of Dutch war volunteers (OVWs),Eurasians and native soldiers,including Moluccans. The present day Korps Commandotroepen of the Royal Netherlands Army is considered a continuation of the RST.
The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to the Netherlands.
Major Marinus Johannes "Marco" Kroon,RMWO,is a Dutch officer serving with the Korps Commandotroepen. Kroon is one of only three living knights 4th class of the Military Order of William and the first new member appointed to this Dutch Order in over half a century. The Military William Order is the highest honour in the Netherlands,bestowed for "performing excellent acts of Bravery,Leadership and Loyalty in battle".
No. 10 (Inter-Allied) Commando was a commando unit of the British Army during the Second World War,recruited largely from non-British personnel from German-occupied Europe. This unit was used to help co-ordinate attacks with other Allied forces.
The Commander of the Royal Netherlands Army is the highest-ranking officer of the Royal Netherlands Army and reports directly to the Chief of Defence. The Commander of the Royal Netherlands Army is statutorily a three-star general. The current C-LAS is Lieutenant General Jan Swillens.
The Korps Commandotroepen (KCT) is the elite special forces unit of the Royal Netherlands Army. The KCT traces its origins to the Second World War with the founding of No. 2 (Dutch) Troop,and the founding of the Korps Speciale Troepen during the Indonesian War of Independence. At present,the unit is tasked with conducting the full spectrum of special operations,its principal tasks being direct action,special reconnaissance,military assistance and counter-terrorism.
Martin Wijnen is a retired Dutch Lieutenant-general,who served as the 5th Commander of the Royal Netherlands Army before stepping down in 2024. before this Wijnen served as the Commander of 43 Mechanized Brigade
The current structure of the Royal Netherlands Army is as follows:
The Netherlands Maritime Special Operations Forces is the special forces unit of the Marine Corps of the Royal Netherlands Navy. It is one of the three principal units tasked with special operations in the Netherlands. The unit can be deployed worldwide to conduct special operations,including counter-terrorism both overseas and domestically,with a maritime focus. Its operations are planned and coordinated by the Netherlands Special Operations Command.
The VECTOR is a Dutch light all-terrain tactical vehicle,designed and developed by defence contractor Defenture for use with special operations forces. The VECTOR was developed in close cooperation with the Korps Commandotroepen (KCT) of the Royal Netherlands Army and is tailor-made for use in special operations,providing a combination of high mobility and firepower with light armour.
Onno Eichelsheim is a general in the Royal Netherlands Air Force serving as Chief of Defence of the Netherlands Armed Forces since 15 April 2021. Prior to his post,he served as the Vice Chief of Defence from 1 July 2019 to 8 March 2021.
The Netherlands Special Operations Command is a joint command of the Netherlands Armed Forces which is responsible for the planning,command and control,execution and evaluation of all operations conducted by the Dutch special operations forces,the Korps Commandotroepen (KCT) and the Netherlands Maritime Special Operations Forces (NLMARSOF).
The Fire Support Command is the artillery arm of the Royal Netherlands Army. The command consists of 41 Artillery Battalion,a staff,the Fire Support School and the artillery training grounds and is part of the Operational Support Command Land.
Defenture B.V. is a defence company based in Tiel,the Netherlands that develops and produces specialist vehicles for military purposes. Defenture was established when it won the tender for the replacement of the Mercedes-Benz G280 CDI fleet of the Royal Netherlands Army's special forces,the Korps Commandotroepen.
Royal Netherlands Army 
Lieutenant general 
