NATO and the need to strengthen resilience - The Dutch case
- Russia's threat requires better NATO military forces but also all necessary civil support to deploy them.
- NATO's resilience baseline requirements steer this civil support, but Allies should commit themselves to implementation measures.
- The Netherlands must urgently strengthen its infrastructure, enhance cybersecurity, and ensure civil support for military operations to meet NATO’s demands.
- Resilience isn’t just a national task – NATO and the EU must work together to address vulnerabilities and ensure credible deterrence against future threats.
Russia’s war against Ukraine has fundamentally changed the security situation in Europe. Western support for Ukraine is framed by Russia as ‘we are at war with NATO’. While the tool used by Moscow is to confront the West with a range of hybrid activities of sub-threshold warfare – from suspected sabotage and damaging underwater cables to cyberattacks, disinformation and interference in election campaigns – the Alliance must be prepared for armed conflict with Russia as well.
Based on the ‘minimum military requirements’ Allies are strengthening their contributions to NATO’s collective defence. However, in order to operate in a conflict situation, the military will need to be sure of the delivery of fuel, electricity, food and water as well as functioning transport, healthcare and other forms of support. During the Cold War, NATO labelled this requirement as ‘civil preparedness’. Today, the term ‘resilience’ is used. NATO has a set of ‘baseline resilience requirements’.
This policy brief analyses NATO’s resilience policy, the baseline requirements and what they imply for Allies, with specific attention to the Netherlands. The policy brief ends with specific recommendations for the Dutch perspective and policymaking on resilience in response to the NATO requirements.
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