Germany and Netherlands push ahead with military integration

The Netherlands has placed a third and final brigade under German command as part of a drive to integrate the two countries' land-based armed forces, the German military announced in Berlin on Monday.
German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius and his Dutch counterpart Kajsa Ollongren put their seal on the move by the NATO partners in Veitshöchheim in central Germany.
By placing the 13th Light Brigade of the Netherlands under German command, all Dutch army brigades would be under German command, the Bundeswehr said.
The 11th Airborne Brigade was the first to be integrated in 2014. The 43rd Mechanized Brigade with 3,000 Dutch troops has also been placed within Germany's 1st Tank Division.
Certain German seaborne units have been placed under Dutch command under a 2016 agreement providing for the gradual integration of German forces into the Dutch Royal Navy. These include marine protection forces, divers and boarding troops.
The combined forces are under a single command structure and can be deployed on behalf of NATO as required. The aim is also for their equipment to be standardized.