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Reservists in the

Armed Forces

Ambition, Objective & Necessity

Bureau Reservisten en Samenleving (BReS)

[Reservists and Society Bureau]

Reservists in the Armed Forces |

Ambition, Objective & Necessity

FOU, Alm.del - 2015-16 - Endeligt svar på spørgsmål 321: Spm. om en redegørelse for de internationale erfaringer med anvendelse af enheder bemandet fortrinsvist og for nogles vedkommende udelukkende med reservepersonel/deltidssoldater i form af tidligere tjenstgørende personel, til forsvarsministeren

Contact Details

Bureau Reservisten en Samenleving (BReS)

Plein Kalvermarktcomplex

Gebouw C

Kalvermarkt 32

2511 CB The Hague

Netherlands

+31 70 318 7271

[email protected]

www.bres-defensie.nl

www.facebook.com/reservistzeghetmaar

Bureau Reservisten en Samenleving (BReS)

IK DIEN

‘Op de bres voor de Krijgsmacht van morgen’

Table of Contents

Preface, Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert, Minister of Defence

Introduction, General Tom Middendorp, Chief of Defence Sta

Review

What do we need to change?

What do we want to achieve?

Basic principles for the modernisation of reservist policy

Where are we headed?

How do we achieve change?

What we’re already doing..

What we’re going to do...

Conclusion

Let’s get to work, Colonel drs. Dick Scherjon, Head Reservists and Society Bureau

Cover photo: National Reservist Policy Modernisation Conference, 2 December 2013.

Reservists in the Armed Forces |

Ambition, Objective & Necessity

Preface

The ‘In the interests of the Netherlands’ policy paper sets out our plans for operationally

and nancially sustainable armed forces. In today’s uncertain world, peace, safety and

stability are not to be taken for granted. Given these circumstances, the Defence

organisation needs the ability to respond rapidly and adequately to changing

circumstances, both in the Netherlands and abroad. This will require a exible armed

forces with a great ability to adapt.

Reservists can help strengthen the armed forces’ adaptive capacity. The deployment of

more reservists will allow us to expand and broaden our capacity. A modern and

up-to-date reservist policy will ensure that our armed forces are ready for the challenges

of tomorrow. As a result, the Defence organisation will be be er prepared for changing

security conditions, a transforming labour market and the in uence of complex

technologies. It should be pointed out that reservists can never come to replace

professional military personnel. They serve to supplement our existing organisation, and

play a crucial role in our ability to accommodate peak loads more e ectively over longer

periods of time.

The deployment of more reservists will require clear agreements with employers. A er

all, this party will have to grant permission before their employees can serve the Defence

organisation. A great deal of time and a ention will thus be devoted to our cooperation

with employers.

The autumn of 2013 saw the establishment of the

Bureau Reservisten en Samenleving

(Reservists and Society Bureau) –abbreviated BReS- as part of our e orts to create a

modern and exible reservist policy. Within BReS’ operational structure, professional

military sta and reservists work side by side under the supervision of a reservist. The ‘S’

in the acronym stands for Society, re ecting the importance of strong ties with the

outside world (the business community, government bodies, training institutes, etc.).

The various institutional elements will be conducting a large number of pilot projects

over the coming years. This will allow us to develop reservist deployment models that

re ect the unique duties, structure, methods and organisational culture of the four

armed forces branches , the Defence Materiel Organisation (DMO), Support Command

(CDC) and Central Sta .

This brochure o ers a brief review of the developments over 2013. It also describes the

key considerations, basic principles and objectives underlying our e orts to intensify

reservist policy. Finally, the brochure provides an overview of the aforementioned pilot

projects.

Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert

Minister of Defence

Reservists in the Armed Forces |

Ambition, Objective & Necessity

| Reservists in the Armed Forces

Introduction by the Chief of Defence Sta

Reservists – like professional military personnel – serve Dutch society. They contribute to

our peace, safety and economic prosperity. Their e orts and dedication are to be

cherished. I emphasised this last year during our Reservists Symposium, and will do so

again here: when things get di cult, we need our reservists more than ever. This applies

both at home and abroad.

Cases in point would be the reservists working to support our surgical teams during

counter-piracy missions o the coast of Somalia; the reservists applying their expertise

to gather information on the pa erns of life in Malian villages; advisers in the Dutch

Safety Regions helping our armed forces to support police, re brigades and emergency

services; all reservists of the National Reserve Corps currently practising and training in

the Netherlands to protect our country’s vital objects.

The success of all these missions and activities depends on our reservists! We are

currently working to create a Defence organisation in which reservists play a crucial and

intrinsic role.

We will be conducting pilot projects at the various institutional elements in order to

experiment with the optimal deployment of reservists. This brochure should o er a

glimpse of the future and provide some insight into the various pilot projects and trials in

the area of reservist deployment.

However, the Defence organisation cannot achieve these changes alone. The

cooperation of employers – from both the business and government sectors – will be

crucial to our e orts to modernise reservist policy. It is important to emphasise that

employers also stand to gain a great deal from this cooperation. These bene ts include

training and the exchange of knowledge. Reservists gain experience in dealing with

complex issues, and learn how to perform under challenging circumstances and stressful

conditions.

In short: the deployment of reservists also bene ts employers. We are currently engaged

in a dialogue with employers and reservists in order create a situation that bene ts all

parties: employers, reservists and the Defence organisation. I have no doubt that the

employers of the future will be willing – even more than is currently the case – to o er us

temporary access to their employees.

Together, we can shape the outlines of tomorrow’s reservist policy – a future that

bene ts us all. amen kunnen we de contouren van het reservisten-beleid van morgen tot

stand brengen. Dat is in ons aller belang.

General Tom Middendorp,

Chief of Defence Sta

Reservists in the Armed Forces |

Ambition, Objective & Necessity

Review

In 2014, the Dutch armed forces comprises some

5000 reservists. These reservists are stationed with

the four Defence branches : the Royal Netherlands

Navy (including the Marine Corps), the Royal

Netherlands Army (with the majority stationed with

the National Reserve Corps, the 400 Medical

Ba alion and the 1 Civil Military Interaction

Command), the Royal Netherlands Air Force (the Air

Force Reserve Group) and the Royal Netherlands

Marechaussee. They are classi ed as either

Reservists with Military Tasks or Reservists with

Speci c Skills. Reservists are assigned to missions

around the world, national tasks, exercises and

ceremonial events.

The past year has seen various steps towards further

development of our reservist policy. For example, in

October 2013 the Reservists and Society Bureau

(BReS) was established as part of our e orts to

create a modern and exible reservist policy.

The name BReS was chosen to re ect the interaction

between reservists and broader society. The Bureau

is presided over by the Defence sta ’s Department

of Operational Readiness Control. The initiatives

undertaken by BReS are discussed with all Defence

branches and incorporated into assignments issued

by the Chief of Defence Sta .

Figureheads: Instigators of change

Last year, the Defence branches appointed

gureheads in an e ort to help shape the

development of reservist policy. In their capacity as

special sta o cers, these gureheads will work to

instigate change within their individual Defence units.

They will meet to discuss relevant internal and

external developments and contribute to the

implementation of new policies. They will also serve

as ambassadors, representing the reservists within

and outside the organisation.

Constructive dialogue

In the autumn of 2013, BReS organised regional

debates on the new reservist policy in collaboration

with the various Defence branches. The meetings

were organised in an e ort to gather ideas and

insights as input for the new reservist policy and

generate broad awareness and support, both within

the Defence organisation and amongst external

parties such as employers’ organisations and unions.

The series of discussion meetings concluded on 2

December 2013 with a national working conference

involving speakers from employers’ and employees’

organisations and international armed forces.

The meetings and working conference yielded a great

many ideas and concrete proposals for the new

reservist policy, which will be put to use during further

intensi cation.

Deeply commi ed to the issue

| Reservists in the Armed Forces

What do we need to change?

The armed forces operate in a complex and constantly

evolving environment. This requires a exible

organisation. Each mission has its own speci c

characteristics – as we have learned over the past few

years – and requires di erent areas of expertise.

Rising costs are leading to new challenges. Our

organisational structure will have to become more

exible if we are to continue carrying out our various

tasks e ectively.

The armed forces’ ability to adapt is largely dependent

on the knowledge and expertise of its sta members.

As a result of demographic changes and other

developments, we currently risk future shortages of

(quali ed) defence personnel.

A fresh outlook on the deployment of reservists is a

key cornerstone in the development of our new

personnel policy. Under no circumstances will

reservists be replacing professional military personnel:

the emphasis will be on further enrichment of the

organisation.

Changing labour market

According to a recent TNO study commissioned by the

ABU secondment industry umbrella organisation,

three out of every ten workers on the Dutch labour

market will have a exible employment contract by

2020.

The number of exible workers is rising in nearly every

sector, due to the growing demand for exibility from

both businesses and institutions. These exible

workers o er additional capacity during peak times,

while providing specialist knowledge that would

otherwise not be available or available in adequate

measure.

Flexible employment is increasingly determining the

face of the Dutch labour market. A growing number of

employees wish to or are required to work on a

part-time or exible basis. The Defence organisation

will have to take this trend into account if it wishes to

remain an a ractive employer for young men and

women in future and retain access to specialist

knowledge.

The armed forces will have to follow the example of

other Dutch organisations and develop new structures

and opportunities for exible working. Naturally,

reservists – the ultimate exible workforce – are

ideally suited to play a key role in this regard.

Reservists in the Royal Netherlands Navy

Reservists in the Armed Forces |

Ambition, Objective & Necessity

What do we want to achieve?

Rationales for the renewal of reservist policy

Expanding operational capacity

The past few years have seen sta shortages in

various positions and specialisms. This scarcity has

disrupted day-to-day activities, speci c phases of the

readiness process and actual deployments.

Requirements uctuate in terms of both quantity

(number of military personnel) and quality

(knowledge and experience). The diversi cation of

knowledge is becoming an increasingly crucial factor

in the success of the armed forces. Reservists can

contribute by strengthening the Defence

organisation’s capacities and continuity where and

when necessary. Furthermore, reservists have the

up-to-date knowledge we need to adjust to an

evermore rapidly evolving technological environment.

Flexibility

The labour market is changing, as are budgetary

frameworks. In order to operate e ectively in such an

environment, organisations need a exibly structured

sta complement and the associated capacities. A

exible structure will allow us to accommodate

capacity peaks and specialised sta ng needs. In more

general terms, changing demographic conditions also

represent an important impetus for the adjustment

and exibilisation of our labour capacity.

A closed personnel system

The Defence organisation is still characterised by a

relatively closed personnel system. Open positions are

mainly lled through bo om-end intake. Incoming

new military personnel are trained and educated

internally.

Public Support

Reservists are important ambassadors for the armed

forces. Their civil activities and networks o er

opportunities to communicate the Defence

organisation’s values and strengths to diverse

audiences in various locations. This will help

strengthen ties between the Defence organisation and

broader society: a crucial factor in the e ort to

generate public support for the armed forces. These

ties are also valuable as they enable the Defence

organisation to acquire knowledge from its reservists

and allow for e ective knowledge sharing and

cooperation with external organisations and

institutions.

Ability to adapt anpassingsvermogen

The coming years will see the armed forces evolve into

an organisation where professional military

personnel, reservists and civilian sta cooperate

e ciently and e ectively. The deployment of

reservists will help the organisation accommodate

demand for high-end specialist knowledge and free

up additional military capacity.

The armed forces of 2025 will – thanks in part to

reservists – have a greater ability to adapt and a large

degree of exibility, enabling the organisation to

adjust rapidly and adequately to changing

circumstances. The organisation will also be both

sustainable and modern. Defence: ‘ t for the future’.

Reservists in the Armed Forces |

Ambition, Objective & Necessity

Basic principles for the modernisation of reservist policy

No displacement

The more intensive deployment of reservists will not

have a negative impact on the employment prospects

of current armed forces personnel. The armed forces

are continually developing, resulting in a changing

mix of professional military personnel, reservists and

civilian sta .

Substantial increase

The plan is to have a larger number of reservists, who

can be appointed to every thinkable position and

rank. At present, less than 10% of the Dutch armed

forces is comprised of reservists. This number is set to

grow. Various NATO countries already apply

percentages of between 15 and 30%. Although the

Defence organisation does not wish to commit to any

such targets, the emphasis will be on growth. The

outcomes of the various pilot projects will o er

greater insight in this regard.

Enrichment

The more intensive deployment of reservists will help

broaden our organisational foundations and ensure a

full sta complement. Furthermore, such an increase

would ensure continuity and retain the required

specialisms in adequate measure. This would serve to

enrich the organisation as a whole.

Employer support

The Defence organisation must build strong

relationships with both reservists and their civilian

employers. In addition to meeting our responsibilities

as a good employer, this will allow us to reach clear

agreements on reservist availability. In doing so, we

will strive to achieve a win-win situation that bene ts

the Defence organisation, the civil employer and

individual reservists. Our Employer Support

programme will be further developed over the

coming years, partly based on the experiences gained

in various partner nations.

We will be hosting an international conference on the

issue in 2015.

Organisation, management and nancing

Decentralised linkage with speci c units and

organisations will help ensure the quality of our

relationships with and the deployment of reservists

( exible sta members). Reservists will be

remunerated through our existing budget. Defence

unit commanders will thus have more freedom to

allocate their budgets as they see t, allowing for a

more e ective and rapid response to current needs.

Appointment procedure

At present, we have insu cient capacity to test and

conduct military intelligence background checks of

aspiring reservists and to train them within a

reasonable time frame. BReS will be working with the

various Defence units to nd ways of increasing our

training capacity. For example, reservists and

personnel on job-related early retirement could play a

greater role in the training process, ensuring that

aspiring reservists can be appointed in a shorter space

of time.

General Tom Middendorp, Chief of Defence Sta , presents the

2013 Reservist Employer of the Year award.

Reservists in the Armed Forces |

Ambition, Objective & Necessity

Where are we headed?

The coming years will see the armed forces evolve into

an organisation where professional military

personnel, reservists and civilian sta cooperate

e ciently and e ectively. The armed forces of 2025

will – thanks in part to reservists – have a greater

ability to adapt and a large degree of exibility,

enabling the organisation to adjust rapidly and

adequately to changing circumstances.

The exchange and sharing of employees (reservists)

will intensify synergy between the Defence

organisation, business community and government

sector. In future, the Defence organisation will

maintain clear and e ective agreements with the

business community and government agencies on the

terms and conditions for reservist deployment. Our

relationship with employers will be characterised by

reciprocity: employers will o er their employees the

freedom to serve as reservists. In return, we will teach

their employees to go the extra mile and achieve

results through teamwork under extraordinary

circumstances. The Defence organisation is built on

e ective leadership and teamwork.

Reservists are set to become an integral component of

the Defence organisation. They will make useful

contributions to the armed forces’ activities at all

organisational elements, including the Central Sta .

The broader deployment of reservists will help the

organisation meet future demand for high-end

specialist knowledge and free up substantial military

capacity that can then be deployed both within and

outside the Netherlands. In the years to come,

reservists will play an ever-greater role in meeting the

growing need for national support and assistance.

Reservists will have more opportunities to develop

and improve their competencies within the Defence

organisation. They will be further familiarised with the

Defence organisation through courses, training

programmes and career supervision, enabling

deployments in a broader range of areas. We will

strive to ensure the mutual recognition of training

courses and certi cates. This intensi ed collaboration

will also o er employees the opportunity to gain

experience in various arenas. New experiences in an

unfamiliar context tend to have a motivating e ect. .

Our future policies will bene t unit commanders at all

organisational levels. The broader deployment of

reservists will help us address the scarcity of speci c

knowledge areas, and increase the operational

adaptability of the various organisational elements. As

a result, the armed forces will be be er equipped to

cope with peak loads during deployments.

Regular Military Personnel and reservists side by side.

| Reservists in the Armed Forces

How do achieve change?

Reservist deployment pilot projects

Reservists can o er all organisational elements crucial

added value. However, there are major di erences

between the four Defence units, Central Sta , Defence

Materiel Organisation (DMO) and Support Command

(CDC). An overly generic approach to the deployment

of reservists within these units would thus be

ine ective. Strategies that work well for a speci c unit

may not necessarily yield the same results at others,

and vice versa. Over the coming years all Defence

units will contribute suggestions for pilot projects in

an e ort to ensure the broader and more innovative

deployment of reservists. These experiments will help

the armed forces gain crucial experience and strike an

optimal balance between reservists and regular

military personnel.

Shell Structure

The new organisation is set to take the form of a

so-called shell structure. The core of our sta

complement consists of professional military

personnel with a permanent contract. This core can be

supplemented by various exible shells consisting of

reservists, temporary sta and external capacity

sourced from civil and international military partners

(see the illustration below).

The four Defence branches will be largely

supplemented by two types of reservist personnel:

Reservists with Military Tasks (including the National

Reserve Corps and Air Force Reservists Group),

Reservists with Speci c Skills (including the 1 Civil

Military Interaction Command and Naval Cooperation

And Guidance for Shipping organisation) and various

types of deployment, including back ll positions

(temporary replacement of deployed regular military

personnel).

CHOICE

A tailor-made approach

The scale and composition of these shells will vary

depending on the relevant Defence unit and job area,

and factors such as demand, priorities, nancial

frameworks, labour market factors, etc.

BReS will be working with the various Defence units to

elaborate e ective reservist deployment models in

order to improve the Defence organisation’s

e ectiveness and e ciency. We will seek to strike an

e ective balance between Combat (combat units),

Combat Support (combat support units providing

specialist operational support such as artillery

support, construction, intelligence, etc.) and Combat

Service Support (supporting units that facilitate the

combat units through activities such as maintenance,

transport and logistics, supply and medical services).

Naturally, we will take account of the unique duties,

organisational structure, working methods and culture

of the four Defence branches, Central Sta , DMO and

CDC. Our e orts should yield models that provide

clear insight into the potential and added value of

reservist deployment for each organisational element

(the various units within each individual Defence unit

may have di erent requirements).

Permanent Sta

Reservist

External Hire

Coalitions/Partners

Basic shell structure model

Reservists in the Armed Forces |

Ambition, Objective & Necessity

Amongst other strategies, we will increase the

number of reservists and deployment options by

approaching former personnel to have recently le

the organisation, discuss exchange models with

employers and consult with the various Defence units

and other organisational units to assess the potential

for tailor-made reservist deployments.

The armed forces deploys several types of reservists,

varying from reservists of the National Reserve Corps

to specialists, in multiple deployment categories such

as back ll and front ll (deployment). The number of

reservists per unit may thus vary. For instance, units

with a focus on combat tasks have considerably less

reservists than those focused on supporting tasks,

such as medics or civil-military cooperation.

As a part of our e orts to intensify existing reservist

policy, we will be assessing the performance of

reservists at a limited number of units. We will also

assess whether there is potential to allocate a greater

number of tasks to reservists in future. In view of the

fact that reservists carry out their duties on a

part-time basis, there is scope to expand their total

number within the organisation. As a result, various

units will be sta ed in excess of 100% capacity and

can be deployed more readily and for longer periods

during peak times.

Some vacancies within the armed forces are di cult

to ll. Naturally, reservists can help ll these positions

- if needed- for the necessary/desirable amount of

time.

1 CMI Co Reservist in Africa

| Reservists in the Armed Forces

What we’re already doing....

Over the course of the past year, we have gained a great deal of experience

in terms of reservist deployment. The section below features a list of ongoing

and previous pilot projects conducted by BReS and the various organisational

elements.

The Royal Netherlands Navy has transformed its

Naval Cooperation And Guidance for Shipping

organisation (sta ed entirely by reservists) in order

to more e ectively address the current needs of the

broader maritime sector. Activities have been

expanded beyond its core task of supervising

merchant shipping vessels during large scale

con icts.

The Navy is currently assessing the potential for

linking the three Reservists with Military Tasks units

to operational marine corps units and aligning their

organisational structure with the operational

Raiding Squadrons. The aim is to support regular

units and take over part of their activities as they

prepare for operational readiness.

The Navy is also assessing the potential for exible

linkage between the existing pool of reservists and

industry demand for training packages in support of

Dutch military sales (marine vessels and systems) to

international clients.

Marine Reservist

Reservists in the Armed Forces |

Ambition, Objective & Necessity

As a part of the ongoing collaboration between civil

transport companies and the Royal Netherlands

Army, assessments are currently being conducted to

identify the potential for more exible transport

and service capacity through the exchange of sta

and other initiatives. These e orts will be designed

to achieve a win-win situation. For example, this

could include the exchange of transport company

sta who can be deployed as reservists during

missions or exercises.

We will assess a partially successful pilot project

during which reservists were trained to serve as

armoured infantry personnel in order to determine

the potential for forming reservist units or pools of

former regular military personnel for each

ba alion.

Reservists of the National Reserve Corps

Reservists in the Armed Forces |

Ambition, Objective & Necessity

Various Royal Netherlands Air Force units are in

great need of specialist knowledge. Outgoing

personnel are well-trained and o en highly

experienced. Eindhoven Air Force Base is currently

launching a pilot project aimed at recruiting

outgoing professional military personnel as

reservists. This will ensure that these highly trained

specialists remain involved with ‘their’ units, so that

the Defence organisation can continue to make use

of their knowledge and expertise. The reservists’

continued involvement with their units will ensure a

high degree of reliability when additional

manpower is needed. If the pilot project proves

successful, this principle can be applied through the

Air Force organisation.

Many Royal Air Force units are regularly deployed to

ceremonial duties, such as the presentation of

le ers of credence, honorary guards during state

visits, commemorations, etc. The Air Force

Reservists Group currently maintains a small sta

contingent specialised in standard bearing and

funerals with (limited) military honours. The

appointment of more reservists to ceremonial

duties will help to considerably lighten the workload

of regular units.

Air Force Reserve Group

Reservists in the Armed Forces |

Ambition, Objective & Necessity

The Royal Netherlands Marechaussee’s National

Control Room o en requires support from non-

investigative sta during major events (open days,

international conferences, Dutch Veterans’ Day,

etc.). An assessment is currently being conducted to

determine how reservists without a military

background can be recruited and deployed for these

tasks.

A similar pilot project may also be launched on

behalf of the Royal Netherlands Marechaussee’s

investigation department.

Honorary Royal Netherlands Marechaussee guard

Reservists in the Armed Forces |

Ambition, Objective & Necessity

BReS will be launching a project aimed at

interesting students in a career as academically-

trained reservist o cers in collaboration with the

43rd Mechanised Brigade and the University of

Groningen’s faculty of Peace and Security. Leiden

University is also set to take part in the project at a

later stage.

Gilze-Rijen air force base is launching a pilot project

to assess whether Defence storage capacity can be

used by civil parties, with civil employees serving at

the location as reservists.

Cyber reservists: The Cyber Command) and 1 CMI

Command are working together to establish a pool

of so-called cyber reservists. These specialists are

sourced from a wide range of sectors (including

government, banking, telecom, energy, consultancy,

knowledge institutions, etc.) and can be deployed to

various cyber tasks depending on their speci c

background.

Cyber reservists have already been deployed during

various exercises. Cyber reservists are also available

to support civil authorities during civil-military

collaborations. We are currently working with civil

partners to develop an acquisition tool that will

allow us to recruit cyber specialists as reservists.

A debate is being organised in collaboration with

the Nieuwspoort centre in The Hague in order to

raise awareness of the Defence organisation in

general and reservists in particular amongst

communication specialists, policy developers and

other relevant parties.

BReS is coordinating a study on the experiences

with reservist deployments in other NATO

countries.

A Service Centre Employer Support Reservists

(SCESR) has been established. The Defence

organisation and employers (VNO-NCW) also

consult through the Defence-Business Sector

Platform (PDB). The importance of the SCESR and

PDB and alignment/cooperation with BReS may

require further intensi cation and recalibration.

These options are currently being assessed.

As of April 2014, the Defence organisation and

national government have been jointly assessing

the potential for simplifying and promoting the

deployment of reservists working in national

government positions.

BReS is assessing whether and to what extent

self-employed persons would be willing and able to

serve as reservists in the armed forces.

Reservists in the Armed Forces |

Ambition, Objective & Necessity

What we’re going to do....

BReS and the various institutional elements are currently developing new

suggestions and ideas for the deployment of reservists. The section below

features an overview of pilot projects set to start in the short term. This overview

is not exhaustive, but o ers an impression of the recent developments.

Land-side support for Royal Netherlands Navy

operational units is regularly hampered by a lack of

capacity. Reservists could play a role in resolving

this problem by providing assistance during

maintenance activities, temporarily replacing crew

members or o ering support in the form of nautical

capacity.

The Royal Netherlands Navy’s Training department

develops and provides career and job training

programmes within the Navy organisation.

However, demand for these training courses

currently outweighs the available supply. With a

certain amount of training, reservists could help

expand this training capacity and accommodate

unforeseen needs and so-called training peaks.

The maintenance of submarines is a highly

specialised technical activity. Outsourcing this work

to the corporate sector or sta untrained in

submarine maintenance is extremely costly.

Furthermore, such solutions may fail to yield the

desired and requisite level of quality.

The appointment of outgoing submarine personnel

as reservists would allow the Navy to keep making

use of their knowledge and expertise.

The Maritime Warfare Centre currently has

insu cient capacity to prepare doctrines on all

recent maritime-military developments. The

establishment of a ‘writing team’ sta ed by

members of the Reservists with Speci c Skills could

help address this shortage.

Reservist deployment in Operation Atalanta

Reservists in the Armed Forces |

Ambition, Objective & Necessity

Amongst other responsibilities, the Sta of the First

German-Dutch Corps is responsible for preparation

and deployment of the Head Quarter Land

Component Command. NATO and the EU

periodically call upon the Corps to provide this

functionality. This requires a great deal of additional

quality and capacity, which cannot be provided

under the present conditions. Reservists could

potentially contribute – a er having been provided

with a certain degree of training – and o er

valuable knowledge and experience in this regard.

The National Deployment Task Force is working

with the National Reserve Corps to assess whether

reservists of the National Reserve Corps could

provide general support to civil authorities during

disasters and/or incidents.

We are currently experimenting with the option of

deploying individual reservists to temporary

projects, temporary vacancies or speci c tasks

during peak times.

The process of identifying and matching speci c

needs to suitable and available reservists is labour-

intensive. The 1 Civil Military Interaction Command is

currently conducting a pilot project to assess the

e ectiveness of a matching tool. This application

could be used used to record the curricula vitae,

ambitions and availability of reservists. Once the pilot

project has concluded, an assessment will be

conducted to determine whether the system can be

introduced throughout the entire Defence

organisation.

As a part of its duties during national deployments,

the Defence organisation o ers military advice to

civil crisis management partners at various levels,

including recommendations on the deployment of

defence capacity. This form of support would

bene t from greater specialist knowledge.

Reservists with Speci c Skills with experience in the

civil safety domain could help to meet these needs.

The Defence organisation is having di culty lling

job vacancies for doctors. Military doctors leaving

service have speci c knowledge and experience that

would be highly useful to the organisation during

day-to-day operations and operational

deployments. Appointing these doctors as reservists

when they leave service would allow us to retain

this knowledge for the Defence organisation.

Support of civil authorities

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Ambition, Objective & Necessity

Introduction of the Reaper UAV has prompted the

need to considerably expand our data analysis

capacity. We are currently assessing the option of

supplementing the Royal Netherlands Air Force’s

permanent data analysis sta with several dozen

reservists, who would be mainly charged with the

initial phase of data analysis. ICT students seem to

o er interesting potential in this regard.

The Air Force sta is currently assessing potential

for the (temporary) deployment of reservists to

open Air Command & Control positions at

multinational headquarters.

Deployment of reservists during re ghting activities

Reservists in the Armed Forces |

Ambition, Objective & Necessity

The Hague Security Brigade is charged with the

security of Royal palaces and other objects in The

Hague. The brigade also has speci c security duties

and carries out ceremonial tasks. As a result of this

broad range of tasks, the amount of required

capacity regularly exceeds the brigade’s capabilities.

More intensive deployment of reservists would

allow the Royal Netherlands Marechaussee to

accommodate these shortages more e ectively,

thus increasing its operational readiness.

The Royal Netherlands Marechaussee urgently

needs strategic analysts with extensive civil (ICT and

cyber) experience. Reservists are ideally suited to

meet this demand.

The strategic analysts will support the Royal

Netherlands Marechaussee’s information-based

activities. The deployment of reservists will allow

for the exchange of civil and military knowledge,

resulting in greater e ciency and e ectiveness.

Firearms training for reservists

Reservists in the Armed Forces |

Ambition, Objective & Necessity

Project management is key to the Defence Materiel

Organisation (DMO) supply chain process. Although

the DMO currently employs several permanent

project leaders, the coming years will see a growing

need for a exible shell structure to supplement the

organisation with speci c knowledge and

accommodate peak loads. The deployment of

reservists will serve to further professionalise

project management within the Defence

organisation.

Medical professionals in both the civil and military

healthcare sectors are becoming increasingly

diversi ed and specialised. The Defence

organisation currently lacks access to speci c

elds of knowledge. This pilot project will see further

development of the existing Institute for

Collaboration between Military and A liate

Hospitals (IDR) concept. The deployment of

reservists will allow Support Command to expand

existing capacity and new specialised medical

knowledge.

Many Support Command units have recently

undergone a reorganisation, are currently in the

process of reorganising or are set to reorganise. The

evaluation and supervision of these reorganisation

e orts will require a great deal of additional capacity

in the aforementioned areas.

The deployment of reservists can o er great added

value in the area of evaluations, audits,

recommendations and assistance. In their capacity

as members of civilian society, reservists also o er

valuable opportunities for re ection.

Military Intelligence and Security Service

The Military Intelligence and Security Service (MIVD)

is currently assessing the option of creating a pool

of reservists, principally for deployments. The

deployment of reservists could contribute to the

more e ective regulation of civilian MIVD sta

activities.

Reservists in the Armed Forces |

Ambition, Objective & Necessity

Conclusion

Organisations are continually adapting to changing

circumstances. This also applies to the composition of

armed forces personnel. Civil organisations in the

Netherlands (business community, government

agencies) are making increasingly intensive use of

exible workers. We need to ask ourselves whether –

and if so, to what extent – this approach is also suited

to the Defence organisation

Inevitably, the armed forces will have to prepare for

the future. We will also need to develop a more

exible sta ng policy. Reservists can play a key role in

this process, o ering additional capacity in

troublesome recruitment areas. They can also provide

a great deal of additional capacity where needed, both

here in the Netherlands and abroad. Reservists thus

serve as a key building block for tomorrow’s exible

and adaptable armed forces.

We will be introducing a new model for the intake,

transfer and out ow of personnel. Outgoing

employees can re-enter as reservists, thus

strengthening the Defence organisation in a di erent

capacity.

This innovation process will be implemented over the

course of several phases. We will be evaluating the

options for practical implementation at all Defence

units over the next few years. The emphasis will be on

ensuring a balanced mix between combat and support

units and sta s.

By experimenting and gaining experience with the

deployment of reservists, we will be able to e ect a

transition from the current to the desired situation.

This process will involve regular evaluations to

determine whether we are still on the desired course.

Air Force Reserve Group

Reservists in the Armed Forces |

Ambition, Objective & Necessity

Let’s get to work!

The objectives outlined in this brochure are ambitious

but realistic, feasible and – in my view – absolutely

essential. A new modern reservist policy will help

improve the Defence organisation’s exibility and

ability to adapt. Reservists will be willing and able to

contribute if their direct environment (work and

home) enables them to do so and the armed forces

o er a structure in which their talents and capacities

are put to optimal use.

Our minister and the Chief of the Netherlands Defence

Sta would ideally like to see reservists make up an

integral and intrinsic part of the armed forces. I

personally expect we will achieve this goal. By 2025, I

believe we will have built an organisation in which

current boundaries between the various personnel

categories (reservists, professional military personnel

and civilian sta ) have largely disappeared. In future,

our employees will have no di culty in switching

between these categories. The infantryman, marine or

pilot of 2025 will – a er having spent several years in

military service – be able to transfer e ectively from

the Defence organisation to a new civil position. A er

having completed their active service, these valuable

former employees will still be able to contribute to

peace and security in their capacity as reservists.

BReS will spend the coming years working to achieve

the ambitions formulated by the minister and Chief

of the Netherlands Defence Sta and described in

this brochure by means of ongoing and new pilot

projects. The years ahead will also see us further

strengthen our ties and cooperation with civil

employers, allowing us to reach e ective agreements

on the deployment of reservists. We will facilitate the

exchange of knowledge at both national and

international level in order to build on existing

foundations and prevent the wastage of valuable

time and e ort. We will have to develop new policies

without knowing exactly which form they are to take

in advance. This represents a considerable challenge.

However, we do not stand alone in our e orts. As we

found during our national conference on the

reservist issue, a great many people are willing to

contribute to the Defence organisation and help us

nd solutions. Our common goal is to create a

sustainable, modern and future-oriented defence

organisation. We hope you will also play a part in this

e ort.

Colonel (R) drs. Dick P. Scherjon

Hoofd Reservists and Society Bureau (BReS)

General Middendorp, Colonel (R) Scherjon,minister Hennis-Plasschaert

Reservists in the Armed Forces |

Ambition, Objective & Necessity

Autumn 2014