The Dutch armed forces have expanded by almost 20% in four years, with staff numbers rising sharply since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, broadcaster NOS reported on Wednesday.

The figures show the ministry of defence has added nearly 12,500 employees during the period, NOS said.

At the most recent count, on 1 December, almost 80,000 people were working for the defence organisation, up from 67,400 in 2022. This year alone, the workforce grew by 5,567.

“We have never seen growth like this before, so that is positive,” junior defence minister Gijs Tuinman said. “But we actually need to grow more, to make our defence against Russia as strong as possible.”

Tuinman wants the armed forces to employ 100,000 people by 2030, with longer-term growth towards 200,000.

The increase is most pronounced among reservists. More than 1,400 were added this year, bringing the total number of reservists in the Netherlands to 9,172.

Reservists train regularly to maintain their basic military skills and are deployed for tasks such as guarding critical infrastructure, including ports and airports. They can also support the professional armed forces and assist during disasters.

Tuinman links the growth partly to targeted recruitment campaigns and said younger people in particular are showing a willingness to step forward. “I see that generation Z really wants to contribute,” he said. “We are making participation as flexible as possible, so it fits better with different stages of life.”

One of the key initiatives is a voluntary service year for young adults who carry out a range of tasks without immediately joining the armed forces. Of the 1,639 young people who started the programme since 2023, around 60% have gone on to sign up.

The ministry is also pinning high hopes on a new fast-track programme for reservists which started last month. Previously, training to become a reservist took a year. Under the new scheme, candidates are assessed medically, physically and mentally over a 10-week period.

Growth in the professional armed forces has been more modest. Over the past year, numbers rose by just under 5%, bringing the total to more than 45,000 professional soldiers. Of the 100,000 staff the defence organisation aims to have by 2030, 56,000 are expected to be professional military personnel.

More women

The share of women choosing to work for the ministry of defence is also rising. Since 2021, the year before the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the proportion of women has increased from 16% to nearly 20%.

The number of applications may be boosted indirectly by princess Amalia who is taking a second degree in law and will also become a military reservist.

Amalia is combining her second bachelor’s degree with a placement at Defensity College, where university and college students receive basic military training and are officially considered reservists upon completion.