Covid-19 and the Dutch Defence Technological and Industrial Base: Impact and Policy Responses

The Dutch Defence Technological and Industrial Base is considered a vital economic sector and thus profits from the short-term government measures to compensate business firms for the negative consequences of the COVID-19 crisis. On the other hand, the predominantly dual-use character of the Dutch DTIB makes the sector vulnerable as civilian customers postpone or cancel orders. With regard to the longer-term impact, it is too early to tell. The impact of the coronavirus on the DTIB depends on decisions yet to be made on the future defence budget, which will become clear in the autumn when the 2021 government budget is presented to Parliament and, shortly after, the longer-term Defence Vision 2035 is to be released…