THE HAGUE, Sept. 30– The Netherlands will deploy Patriot systems and National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile System (NASAMS), along with counter-drone systems, to Poland from December to bolster NATO’s eastern flank and protect a key logistics hub supporting Ukraine, the Dutch Defense Ministry said on Tuesday.
Dutch Defense Minister Ruben Brekelmans, speaking during a visit to a Dutch F-35 detachment in Poland on Tuesday, stated that “the eastern NATO border is also our security border” and “We stand ready, determined to defend this border together with our allies.”
Dutch F-35 fighter jets have been operating from Poland since Sept. 1 and will remain until Dec. 1 as part of NATO’s air policing mission, according to a statement from the ministry.
The jets have already been scrambled several times, including one live engagement against drones. Brekelmans later took part in a security conference in Warsaw with his German and Estonian counterparts and a European commissioner, where the officials discussed support for Ukraine, strengthening NATO and ramping up defense industry production. (Xinhua)
