Dutch defense minister Hans Hillen warned on Tuesday that further cuts to defense spending will imperil the security of the Netherlands. “You cannot say that the world is safe,” he told the Nieuwsuur television program. “If we reduce [spending] further, we won’t be safe anymore.”Hillen responded to an opinion poll which found 75 percent of Dutch voters in favor of deeper defense spending cuts. Specifically, respondents agreed with left wing opposition parties that the Netherlands should pull out of the Joint Strike Fighter program which produces the F-35 fighter jet that is slated to replace the aging F-16.
A slim parliamentary majority voted to end the Netherlands’ participation in the project in July. Hillen, who is the member of a caretaker government, refused to carry out the motion. The next government will have to decide whether or not to continue acquisition of the F-35. Elections are scheduled to take place in three weeks.
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