Affected by the regional situation, in recent years, NATO member country Netherlands has continuously increased its defense budget and strengthened its defense capacity building. According to foreign media reports, the Netherlands' defense budget for 2024 is approximately 22 billion euros (about 24.5 billion US dollars), and this number is expected to increase to 24 billion euros by 2025. In the next five years, the Netherlands will increase defense investment in multiple fields, including land, sea, and air equipment, infrastructure, and information systems. Dutch Defense Minister Ruben Blakemans recently responded to questions about the increase in defense budget by saying, "We seem to be living a peaceful life, but in reality, we are under attacks every day. Our digital systems, universities, companies, ports, and power grids have been under surveillance, and the number of attacks is increasing." Blakemans pointed out that not only cyber attacks, but also individual countries and terrorist acts pose a potential threat to Dutch national security. The Dutch armed forces must always be prepared to face new threats and prevent new armed conflicts in Europe. In the 2024 defense budget, the Dutch Army received 2.02 billion euros, accounting for approximately 9% of the total budget. Although it is currently unclear how the Dutch Army allocates its defense budget, analysts believe that recruiting more troops and rebuilding tank battalions may be the two main focus areas. The core of the Dutch Army Combat Forces consists of the 11th Air Mobility Brigade, 13th Light Brigade, and 43rd Mechanized Brigade, as well as various support units. Foreign analysts say that the Netherlands' plan to build a strong army is a direct response to the tense situation in Europe. The budget of the Dutch Navy is 1.18 billion euros, accounting for approximately 5% of the total budget. The Dutch Navy has 24 combat vessels and various types of support vessels, as well as two battalion sized Marine Corps battle groups, support units, and naval special operations forces. The budget for the Dutch Air Force is 1.02 billion euros, the budget for the Defense Support Command and Military Maintenance Department is 1.73 billion euros, and the budget for the Command and Information Technology Department is 864 million euros. The Dutch Defense Equipment Budget Fund has received a budget of 9.78 billion euros for the modernization of military hardware and infrastructure. Among them, 7.72 billion euros are used for investing in weapons and equipment, 827 million euros are used for infrastructure construction, and 1.23 billion euros are used for information systems. According to the plan, the Netherlands will recruit more soldiers and reserve personnel. By 2025, the number of newly recruited personnel will increase from 500 to 600 this year to about 1000. The Dutch military currently has approximately 66000 military and civilian personnel, with the army having the largest number at around 16000, while the navy and air force have approximately 7500 and 6500 personnel, respectively. In addition, the Dutch military police force has approximately 6600 personnel. To strengthen military preparedness, the Netherlands allocated 2.04 billion euros for military deployment and foreign military aid, and 351 million euros for military exercises. It is worth noting that the Netherlands has also specifically allocated 19.22 million euros for secret operation expenses, and the specific details of the use of this fund have not been disclosed due to sensitive actions or projects involved. The Dutch government plans to strengthen cooperation with domestic and other European defense companies to rapidly expand military production capacity, ensure that weapon procurement is consistent with NATO standards, and keep up with the pace of NATO weapon equipment upgrades. In addition to the regular defense budget, the Dutch government has allocated 2.4 billion euros this year as additional defense funds to purchase F-35A fighter jets for the Dutch Air Force, NH-90 helicopters for the Navy, and to rebuild tank battalions for the Army. (New Society)