On Friday, December 19, the cabinet made a final decision on which locations in the Netherlands will be designated for Defense. These locations are listed in the final National Program Space for Defense (NPRD) report.
Defense requires (additional) space for training and educating military personnel, as well as for barracks, storage facilities, low-flying areas, and training grounds. Our province is also heavily impacted in terms of space. The decision definitively establishes that a training village will be located in Cranendonck and that the Weerterheide training area will be expanded. The training area on the Oirschotse Heide will also be expanded. Various defense locations in Brabant will have helicopter landing sites as well as designated helicopter low-flying areas.
Nine Preferred Locations Remaining
In addition to the final locations, the report describes nine locations proposed as preferred sites, three of which are in Brabant. For Woensdrecht, Gilze-Rijen, and Eindhoven, there are specific defense needs requiring further research. In the first quarter of 2026, these studies will be made available for public inspection in the specific municipalities involved, and it will be possible to submit feedback.
Background
In July 2023, Defense started the National Program Space for Defense (NPRD). This program describes the types of locations and spaces needed. Following the NPRD, research was conducted on the impact on the living environment, nature, the environment, and support. Nationwide, 45 preferred locations were proposed, which after research and consultation rounds were deemed the most suitable locations. View the timeline (links to another website)
More Information
More information can be found on the Defensie Dichtbij platform (links to another website).