Hundreds of young officers with families will leave the marines if the move to Vlissingen in Zeeland goes ahead, brigadier general Jeff Mac Mootry told MPs on Thursday.

The Volkskrant reported in March that staff were quitting in droves, leaving the elite unit’s existence in doubt.

The staff’s main gripe is a projected move from the centrally located Doorn to Vlissingen in Zeeland in 2022. This will impact younger marines in particular because they are not prepared to leave their families, especially as their wives have their own careers, marine chiefs told MPs.

‘Mothers are working too, and you can’t just drive back from Vlissingen to pick up your child from school if they fall ill,’ Mac Mootry said.

The elite navy troops are part of the Dutch special forces which operate in Afghanistan and Mali and train military personnel on the ground.