Netherlands To Cut Defense Spending

摘要

The Dutch government has announced that it will cut up to $1.4 billion in defense spending through 2014 as part of a wider plan to reduce the nation's budget deficit, which is currently 5.3 percent of Gross Domestic Product. The first reduction of about $600 million will occur through the end of the year, with an estimated $300 million cut in both 2012 and 2013. These reductions include decreasing the number of military personnel by 12,000 (17 percent of the force), retiring 19 F-16 fighter jets and cutting funding for the new Joint Strike Fighter. For the Royal Netherlands Navy, it means truncation of the Holland-class offshore patrol vessel (OPV) program to just two units and decommissioning various other vessels.