The Quest for Relevant Air Power

CONCLUSION │ 343
limited defence budget. By virtue of its Air Force’s military prowess,
the Netherlands has established itself as a trustworthy alliance
partner—particularly in the view of the United States—that could
make meaningful contributions to combined operations. It can be
argued that the RNLAF’s limited size—combined with its natural
inclination to play a leading role in deployed operations and its
conducive political environment—bolstered its adaptation to the
organisational and doctrinal challenges of the post–Cold War era.
In France and Germany, the challenges of deployed operations
have fostered a readiness to transfer national authority into cooperative
ventures that have enhanced air power’s effectiveness, particularly
in air mobility. Promoted by these two countries, the
EATC represents the culmination of European air mobility integration
and is likely to appreciably cut administrative overheads.
For rapid deployments, European nations need to be able to summon
substantial airlift capabilities. The EATC provides member
countries with an unprecedented surge capability. Another example
of a successful cooperative venture was the establishment of a
multinational European F-16 expeditionary air wing in 2004. So
far, the trend has gravitated towards cooperation and pooling,
while role specialisation has been viewed as limiting potential deployment
options. Yet, role specialisation has occurred by default
rather than by design. For instance, when its Jaguar fleet was
phased out, the FAF also lost its dedicated SEAD capability. It was
subsequently announced that the FAF would rely upon partners
for this particular role in multinational air operations.
As regards alliance policy, American influence in European security
matters has been welcomed by some, while others have attempted
to minimise it. The Netherlands has chosen a strong
transatlantic link, allowing it to generate effective segments of air
power at a relatively low price. While the RNLAF has versatile and
potent multirole combat aircraft and helicopter fleets at its disposal,
it lacks essential functions such as deployable air operations
centres, deployable air bases, or sufficient strategic airlift. The
RNLAF is geared up for effectively plugging into American-led
operations. In contrast, France has sought to generate independent
European air power, which is nevertheless interoperable with
US air power.