Connectivity does not automatically provide NEC, but there is no NEC without connectivity. The integration of UCSs into a C2 network can significantly reduce the amount of voice communication needed to coordinate and synchronize events. The integration of UCSs into an ATMnetwork provides the basis for …

On 2 February 2006, after earlier Dutch contributions in Afghanistan, a large parliamentary majority approved the Cabinet decision to deploy a mission to Uruzgan. On 3 February 2006 the decision was confirmed in the meeting of the Cabinet. This brought to a close the political decision making process …

The author, writing directly from his personal experiences, describes the difficulty of leading air force activities in a complex operation like in Afghanistan. Not only gaining and maintaining air superiority, and providing air support and transport, was on the agenda of ISAFs air force headquarters …

Because of the high-risk deployments into Afghanistan, soldiers’ parents have become more important in public opinion as well as in activities of family support groups. Although their voice is heard louder than ever before, research into parents’ experiences in the course of deployment is sparse. This …

The transition from the Organization for African Unity (OAU) to the African Union (AU) was a consequence of the changing peace and security agenda of the Pan-African organization. The African leaders desired a continental peace and security architecture, which would be capable of preventing, managing …

In the Netherlands, there have been many discussions about whether or not to establish a European Defence Organisation. However, due to the political party D66 (Democrats '66), this discussion has been revived in 2006 to such an extent that it really had an impact on political agendas of the Dutch political …

Discussing the visibility and cultural factors that inf luence the position of women in the armed forces is the object of the study that is presented here. The Netherlands do not have a martial tradition and are believed to have a feminine ‘soft’ culture , but nevertheless women have always been underrepresented. Nowadays …

The collapse of the Soviet Union meant the removal of the main adversary of NATO, and many believed that NATO had become obsolete given its original purpose of countering the Soviet communist threat. The end of the Cold War caused a debate about the future role and the necessity of the Alliance. It soon …

The Dutch Government wishes to participate in peace enforcing missions and stabilizing missions. From the early 1990s onwards, the armed forces have taken part in several of such missions,examples of which are the execution of peace enforcing operations in the Gulf area and peacekeeping missions in former …

Because armed forces are financed by taxpayers money, it is necessary that they are operating in an effective and efficient way. To achieve this, good training is vital. New missions of the Dutch armed forces, for instance in Afghanistan, show that the operational preparedness for tasks is vital. As …