The Quest for Relevant Air Power

232 │ ROYAL NETHERLANDS Air Force
2004 no less than 40 per cent of the Army’s operational personnel
were deployed overseas, well above the NATO average. In the future,
the Dutch Parliament might also deploy the Royal Netherlands
Army for high-intensity warfare. From January to June 2005,
4,000 Dutch troops—mostly combat—went on standby for NATO
Response Force 4. 49
Alliance Context
In 1985 the Dutch scholar Jan Siccama observed that “the failure
of neutrality in 1940 enhanced the tendency towards alignment
after World War II in the same way as the success of neutrality
in 1914 had fostered the continuation of that policy during the
interbellum period.” 50 Since the signature of the North Atlantic
Treaty on 4 April 1949, Dutch security has been viewed exclusively
in transatlantic terms. The Netherlands’ colonial legacy and
once more prominent position in international affairs have created
a self-image of an influential, albeit small, nation. Cooperation
has been regarded as the main lever for gaining influence on
the international stage. 51
Since a premium was put upon a firm American commitment
to European security, attempts at establishing an independent European
defence structure outside NATO in the early 1990s were
feared to undermine cohesion within the NATO alliance. Yet, a
shift from an outspoken transatlantic orientation to a more European
stance was discernable in the mid-1990s. While the first
Bush administration discouraged attempts at European defence
cooperation, President Clinton supported the development of the
European Security and Defence Identity and encouraged European
cooperation through initiatives such as the CJTF concept
within NATO. The Clinton administration argued that a more integrated
European defence policy would serve peace and security
better than fragmented national defence initiatives. This shift in
American behaviour prompted Dutch defence policy to move in a
more European direction. The Dutch government has been vigorously
pursuing the goal of integrating its armed forces into supranational
defence structures. Accordingly, the Royal Netherlands
Marine Corps has been closely integrated with units of the British
Royal Marine Corps since the days of the Cold War, and in August
1995, the Netherlands integrated its Army into a Dutch-German