The Quest for Relevant Air Power

ROYAL NETHERLANDS Air Force │ 247
Air Policing
Courtesy Netherlands Institute for Military History; photo by H. Keeris
A Dutch C-130 Hercules over the impressive landscape of Central Asia
In the context of NATO’s integrated air defence, the RNLAF
permanently maintains a two-ship of F-16 aircraft on QRA. After
11 September, aircraft on high readiness were increased from two
to six for approximately one month. In the aftermath, Dutch QRA
aircraft became—alongside NATO duties—also available for national
air policing tasks. 130
After the Baltic states had become members of NATO in 2004,
four Dutch F-16s were deployed to Lithuania in 2005 to conduct
QRA and air policing missions over the Baltic. Since Lithuania,
Estonia, and Latvia do not have adequate aircraft for this type of
mission at their disposal, other NATO nations alternately provide
a detachment of four fighter aircraft for approximately three
months. 131 As of 2009, this alliance mission was expected to last
until around 2018. 132
How Has the Royal Netherlands Air Force
Responded to the New Intellectualism in
Air Power Thinking and Doctrine?
The RNLAF’s close relationship with the USAF and its early involvement
in real operations facilitated sound approaches to deal
with the intellectual challenges of the post–Cold War era.