Overview
- Defence has outlined 56 locations for training areas, depots, base upgrades and housing, calling the list a preference that still requires work on several points rather than a final decision.
- Final selection is slated for a December cabinet ruling, after which the plan goes to the House of Representatives; implementation could start next year with completion targeted for 2040.
- Local effects include possible expropriation and new permit procedures, with site specifics such as an unpaved strip and more helicopter activity at Deelen, vehicle‑based firing at the Artillery Range, and further study at Harskamp.
- Lelystad is Defence’s preferred stationing site for F‑35s, while provincial and city leaders back that only if the airport also opens for holiday flights, a step a parliamentary majority has previously opposed.
- Following drone sightings over Volkel and Eindhoven and failed attempts to bring them down, Defence is rushing counter‑drone capabilities worth roughly €1.25–3 billion including radars and mobile systems, as Minister Brekelmans cautions investigations may yield limited answers and notes no indication of armed drones.