Seaforth World Naval Review 2017 by Conrad Waters

Author:Conrad Waters [Waters, Conrad]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Nonfiction, Reference & Language, Reference, Almanacs & Trivia, Yearbooks & Annuals, Science & Nature, Technology, Military Science, History, Military, Naval
ISBN: 9781473892774
Amazon: B01NC2S5Q4
Goodreads: 34212937
Publisher: Pen & Sword Books
Published: 2016-10-30T04:00:00+00:00

The Dutch colonial presence diminished with the formation of the Republic of Indonesia after a brutal war of independence following the end of the Second World War. Other nations emerged from the former colonies in the following decades. The remaining overseas territories – exclusively in the Caribbean – became integrated into the Kingdom of the Netherlands as constituent countries. Following the most recent constitutional reforms, the four countries of the Kingdom of the Netherlands currently comprise The Netherlands themselves, together with Curaçao, Aruba and Sint Maarten.1

The 21st-century Kingdom of the Netherlands is a wealthy nation. In nominal terms, it has the sixth highest gross domestic product (GDP) in Europe; around €650bn in 2015. This places it as the seventeenth wealthiest nation in the world. Much of this wealth is tied to the Kingdom’s prominent role in world trade; imports and exports of c. €430bn in each direction position it amongst the world’s ten largest trading countries. While many of the Netherlands’ major trading partners are within Europe, the kingdom still conducts a significant amount of trade with non-European nations, for example the United States of America and China. This makes maritime transport a critical component of its trading network. While the Netherlands has a number of large seaports, these are dwarfed by the Port of Rotterdam. This was the largest seaport in the world until 2004 and is still consistently ranked within the top ten busiest ports in the world. It is also the largest container port in Europe. The Netherlands’ significant wealth, combined with the influence gained through membership of both the European Union and NATO, contribute to the Netherlands’ status as one of the world’s middleranking powers.

The interests of the Kingdom of the Netherlands are therefore intrinsically global, a fact that informs the nation’s defence decisions, not least how to allocate a defence budget that currently stands at c. 1.2 percent of GDP. With the end of the Cold War, the main immediate defence concerns are global stability and combating illegal activities, as both can have a negative impact on their economy. The heavy reliance on trade – especially that conducted outside Europe – makes maintaining the freedom of the seas of paramount importance. This important role is primarily within the purview of the Royal Netherlands Navy (RNLN).

The Royal Netherlands Navy embarked on a major programme of construction to rebuild its war-ravaged fleet after the end of the Second World War. This image shows the lead ship of two De Ruyter class cruisers in home waters in September 1962. She remains in service to this day as the Peruvian Navy’s Almirante Grau. (Editor’s collection)

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