Working Worldwide for the Security of the Netherlands Working Worldwide for the Security of the Netherlands Defence Fund is also being established for European joint projects to develop and acquire defence capabilities. In addition, work is being done to introduce improvements that will allow faster and better deployment of military and civil capabilities for future EU missions and operations. This is also an EU response to calls from the US and other international partners for it to take greater responsibility. That is why, as announced in the coalition agreement, the Netherlands is investing in an ambitious cybersecurity agenda. Dutch and NATO investments in cyber capabilities will contribute to our collective defence against – and help deter – state and non-state actors with aggressive attentions in the digital domain. In the Netherlands, this involves bodies like the intelligence and security services, the Defence Cyber Command and the National Cyber Security Centre. The government supports these developments and is working to ensure that strengthening Europe’s capabilities also benefits NATO. The creation of expensive parallel structures must be avoided. Nor is there any question of establishing a ‘European army’. | 32 | Bilateral cooperation On defence, the Netherlands works closely with Belgium and Luxembourg in the Benelux and with major allies like Germany, France and Norway. After Brexit, France will be the major military power in the EU, and therefore best placed to respond to crises. The UK will remain an important strategic partner because of our historic ties, our shared interests and values, the size of its armed forces, its location and our shared membership of NATO. The Netherlands is therefore in favour of close cooperation between the EU and the UK, in the fields of common foreign and security policy (CFSP) and common security and defence policy (CSDP). We view this cooperation in the broadest possible sense, including sanctions, development cooperation, EU missions and operations, capability development (the European Defence Agency, European Defence Fund and PESCO), information exchanges, joint responses to hybrid threats and external aspects of counterterrorism and cybersecurity cooperation. Cyberattacks make it increasingly easy to undermine our security and that of our allies at minimum cost and in relative anonymity. Besides cyber diplomacy and international regulation of the digital domain (see goal 4 above), the government is also investing in cyber intelligence and in both defensive and offensive cyber capabilities to protect against, respond to and deter cyberattacks and espionage. With these capabilities, the Netherlands aims to detect and neutralise cyber threats at an early stage, repel them effectively and – in extreme cases – retaliate proportionately. To this end, it is important to identify the perpetrators of such attacks if at all possible, so that they can be publicly called to account. Security in the digital domain is not purely a matter of technical resilience. By making these investments, the Netherlands will make itself resilient to cyber threats and will be able, if necessary, to respond with the full range of instruments at its disposal. Goal 7: Counterterrorism Goal 6: Forceful cyber deterrence Many forms of terrorism, including global violent and extremist jihadist terrorism are transnational in nature. The Netherlands aims to prevent or mitigate terrorism as much as possible. Where that is not possible, repressive measures have to be taken. In recent years, the Netherlands has invested substantially at national, EU and international level in addressing the terrorist threat. We have, for example, strengthened our intelligence and investigative capacity. The international exchange of information has been stepped up through agreements within the EU, by developing new instruments like harmonised use of passenger name records, and by enhancing the interoperability of EU systems. At the same time, we are helping build capacity in third countries, an investment that also improves our own security. This entails, for example, improving the tracking of travel movements, border controls and aviation safety in countries and problem areas which have regular flights to the Netherlands. By sharing knowledge, equipment and personnel related to national and international approaches to civilian counterterrorism, the Netherlands has acquired a good international position, e.g. in the EU, the UN, the Global Coalition to Counter ISIS/Daesh, the Global Counterterrorism Forum and innovative capacity building programmes. This contributes both directly and indirectly to combating terrorism in the Netherlands and internationally. A number of states are conducting increasingly open and aggressive cyber operations for political and military purposes. These attacks aim to both sabotage vital infrastructure and spread false information to influence public opinion. That not only causes economic damage, but also erodes democratic legitimacy and fuels a cyber arms race. A sustained effort is needed to keep our resilience up to standard. Terrorism has become a permanent feature of our national threat situation.13 Internationally, the Netherlands focuses on denying terrorist organisations safe havens, cutting off flows of funds for Caribbean parts of the Kingdom Given the instability in the region, the government is devoting special attention to the defence of the Caribbean parts of the Kingdom. The current crisis in Venezuela, the Kingdom’s biggest neighbour, for example, can lead to large flows of migrants to the Caribbean parts of the Kingdom, causing unrest. Here, too, the US is a crucial ally in preventing the escalation of violence. Other countries, too, like Mexico, Colombia and Brazil, are important for security in the region. Lastly, efficient external border controls and management are of great importance for the defence of the territory of the Netherlands, the Kingdom, the EU and NATO. They are a prerequisite for open internal borders, as stated in the coalition agreement. The government will therefore sustain its investment in border control at a high level, as described in goal 13. | 33 |