On Thursday, March 13 and Friday, March 14, 2025, several members of the Foreign Affairs, Defense, and Development Cooperation committee visited NATO and the Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe (SHAPE), the central command center of NATOs military forces in Mons. This was at the invitation of the US Ambassador to the Netherlands.
The members Koen Petersen (VVD), Henk Marquart Scholtz (BBB), Math Goossen (BBB), Rian Vogels (VVD) and Karin van Bijsterveld (JA21) participated in this visit, along with Members of Parliament Olger van Dijk (NSC) and Annemarie Heite (NSC).
On the first day, the delegation met at the NATO headquarters in Brussels with, among others, Thijs van der Plas, the Permanent Representative of the Netherlands to NATO. The discussion covered current developments within NATO and the role the Netherlands plays in this. Talks with various staff members of the international staff and the American delegation addressed NATOs position in the Indo-Pacific and the priorities of the United States. They also looked forward to the NATO summit to be held on June 24 and 25 in The Hague.
On the second day of the working visit, the delegation visited the Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe. The parliamentarians spoke there with Stephen Covington, advisor on strategic and international affairs to the Supreme Allied Commander Europe (SACEUR). He briefed the delegation on SHAPEs command structure, current military operations, cyber and hybrid threats, and the deter and defend strategy that NATO advocates.