Foundation in Law and Purpose
The Dutch armed forces exist by declaration in the constitution of the Netherlands. Article 97 of this constitution determines that the armed forces exist
- to defend the Kingdom of the Netherlands and its interests in the world; and
- to protect and advance the international rule of law.
Interestingly, this means that the role and responsibility of the Dutch military in international stability and peacekeeping is constitutionally determined.
The same article of the constitution determines that supreme command of the Dutch military resides with the government of the Netherlands. This has been the case since the constitution was changed in 1983; before then, supreme command of the armed forces of The Netherlands was held by the King of The Netherlands.
In addition, a second major change in military affairs was made in 2003. Before then, all citizens of The Netherlands were tasked with the defense of the kingdom. In keeping with the move to a professional military, this article was dropped.
Read more about this topic: Armed Forces Of The Netherlands
Famous quotes containing the words foundation, law and/or purpose:
“I believe that the mind can be permanently profaned by the habit of attending to trivial things, so that all our thoughts shall be tinged with triviality. Our very intellect shall be macadamized, as it were,—its foundation broken into fragments for the wheels of travel to roll over.”
—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)
“You made us in the House of Pain. You made us things. Not men, not beasts, part-man, part-beast: things.”
—Waldemar Young, U.S. screenwriter. Erle C. Kenton. Sayer of the Law (Bela Lugosi)
“If God bestowed immortality on every man then when he made him, and he made many to whom he never purposed to give his saving grace, what did his Lordship think that God gave any man immortality with purpose only to make him capable of immortal torments? It is a hard saying, and I think cannot piously be believed. I am sure it can never be proved by the canonical Scripture.”
—Thomas Hobbes (1579–1688)