Toespraak staatssecretaris Tuinman bij NATO Summit Pre-event on Defence Industry
De toespraak is alleen beschikbaar in het Engels.
Distinguished guests, colleagues, industry, institutes and business partners,
Great – and very important – to see you all here in The Hague! I hope today has been both inspiring and thought-provoking, and that we all leave here with a shared sense of urgency.
Over the past weeks, we have all witnessed the deepening geopolitical divide and the unfolding events that threaten both our national and international security. Europe and the Netherlands must rise to the occasion and take greater responsibility for our own security, our defence, and above all, our deterrence posture. Today, I stand before you with a clear mission: to break old habits, rethink our approach, and take bold action.
It is our armed forces that fight our wars. But it’s a nation’s economy, industry, and resilient society that ultimately wins those wars. What we need is a formidable army, a thriving economy and a society that can withstand the storm. And in all 3 areas of defence, you play a crucial role. To keep our adversaries at bay, the defence industry must deliver – faster, more, and better. In that order.
We cannot stand by as prices continue to rise instead of fall. We cannot stand by as deliveries slow down when they should be speeding up. We cannot stand by as our leaders of industry fall behind when agility is needed most. Production and delivery must take priority over development and design.
Today, I want to make one thing perfectly clear: we are in this together, and we need each other. Necessity is the mother of all invention, and constraints the father of creativity. Together, we can turn challenges into opportunities.
‘Together’ means industry and business leaders ramping up production. It means entrepreneurs and research institutes pushing the boundaries of innovation and developing the next-generation technologies that will keep us in and ahead of the game. It means me, the Dutch government, paving the way for progress by fostering cooperation, building regional ecosystems, and most importantly, breaking down bureaucratic barriers that slow down deliveries to our war fighters. It means financial institutions and investors fuelling the breakthroughs that will define the future of our security.
In short, we need the full power of the so-called Golden Triangle – businesses, research institutes, and government – working together as one.
Last week, I travelled to the United States where I learned about cloud storage, edge computing, and distributed networking. My top priority was strengthening cooperation between US and Dutch companies – to explore new partnerships, unlock fresh opportunities, and drive technological progress together. More than ever, our fighting power is about bits and bytes. IT, AI, and data are weapons – they are decisive on the battlefield of today and will be even more so in the future.
Technology is evolving at breakneck speed, and companies such as Microsoft, Google, Palantir, and Anduril, are leading the way in terms of cybersecurity, AI, cloud computing, and data analysis. If we want to accelerate the digital transformation of our armed forces – and truly strengthen our fighting power – we must tap into their expertise. We must use it, learn from it, and most importantly, develop it ourselves.
Yes, you heard me – develop it here in the Netherlands, in Europe, by, with, and through the partners sitting in this room today. I firmly believe that the European defence industry needs bold, entrepreneurial disruptors – such as Germany’s Helsing and the Netherlands’ Avalor AI – to drive a faster, more efficient, and higher-quality approach at a lower cost.
On the other hand, while scaling up our own industries and improving Europe’s strategic autonomy, we must not isolate ourselves. The US remains a crucial partner. Together, we are stronger.
In fact, President Trump’s transactional approach to politics may also create unexpected opportunities for the defence industry. Trump’s actions may be unpredictable, but in the end, when there’s an economically beneficial deal to be made, he’ll make it. And we shouldn’t be afraid to do the same.
Ladies and gentlemen,
The new challenges we face, require us to break old habits, rethink our approach, and take bold action. Our adversaries are not deterred by percentages, funding, white papers, designs, or roadmaps. What truly deters them is equipment that shoots, drives, and flies.
I am convinced we can do this. The task ahead of us is never greater than the power behind us.
As the Minister of Defence stated earlier today, we have dedicated an additional € 1.1 billion to scaling up our defence industry. Together with defence companies, we are working hard to build ecosystems in 5 key technological areas in which we excel: intelligent unmanned systems, quantum technology, space technology, smart materials, and sensors.
Our goal for these 5 focus areas is to make the Netherlands an industry leader in each and every one of them. At the same time, we’ll continue to support our maritime manufacturing sector, to ensure that the Netherlands remains a leader in this vital industry.
Break old habits, rethink our approach, and take bold action… With that mindset we’re also tackling the financial challenges faced by defence start-ups and small and medium-sized enterprises, where funding remains a major hurdle. To help, we have launched the Security Fund – SecFund. By focusing on dual-use technologies that have both defence and civilian applications, we are breaking down barriers for the financial sector to invest.
Take our innovative camera chip, for example, which has ten times the contrast precision of current models – it’s suitable for both mobile phones and night vision equipment. This kind of innovation, born from a cross-industry approach, is exactly what we need to stay ahead.
Through the SecFund, we are investing € 25 million, with the ambition to increase that investment to € 100 million. Starting the 2nd of April, companies can apply for funding to scale up their innovation drives. I look forward to hearing from you soon!
Innovation is about creating the right environment for innovative ideas to flourish. We must experiment, take risks, accept sunk costs and move beyond rigid systems that stifle creativity. Signing Letters of Intent is not enough! It’s about deal-making, and providing opportunities for innovations to emerge bottom-up.
At the Ministry of Defence, the Minister and I are working hard to foster a culture of trust and comradery, where taking risks and learning from mistakes is part of progress. We need a culture and alliances that value learning, adaptability, and entrepreneurship.
A great example is our cooperation with businesses, research institutes, and investors in Brainport Eindhoven through the Brainport Innovation & Technology for Security initiative. The first partnership is already underway: the Optical Communication Alliance, formed by Signify, FSO, TNO and Brainport. An exciting and promising initiative!
As we speak, we are developing a new platform together with the Confederation of Netherlands Industry and Employers that will bring together public and private partners – from industry leaders to startups, from government to financial institutions. We’re expanding efforts in other regions, such as with Chemelot in Limburg and the Innovation Quarter in South Holland. Every region counts!
We need peace through strength. And therefore – for the last time: we have to break old habits, rethink our approach, and take bold action!
As the Netherlands Minister for Arms Procurement and Personnel, my job is to create the right conditions – cutting down on regulations and bringing the right parties together. So, please don’t hesitate to call me out if the Ministry of Defence is creating unnecessary bureaucratic obstacles.
Right now, NATO’s armed forces are strong enough to deter our adversaries. But if we fail to stay ahead of the curve, we risk a future where that balance shifts… A future none of us want to imagine. A future that threatens our democracy, our values, and the freedom we all hold dear.
Let’s rise to the occasion. Let’s build the future of European defence. And let’s ensure that we never have to ask ourselves: did we do enough?
Thank you.