ABSTRACT
According to the new doctrine, published in the Royal Netherlands Navy (RNLN) white papers Leidraad maritiem optreden. The RNLN, whose main role until 1989 was Anti-Submarine Warfare in a blue water environment, officially shifted its attention to brown water operations. The ability to demonstrate that the RNLN was a flexible organisation that could be employed worldwide at short notice upheld the prestige of the navy and proved useful at times when the budget was under threat. Demonstrating enthusiasm to participate in enforcement/embargo missions in the Middle East, the Adriatic or the Caribbean showed that the RNLN was able to operate worldwide together with larger Western navies like the US Navy and Royal Navy and to promote Dutch interests. One of the strategic multipliers in Dutch government foreign policy decisions was to observe good relations with the USA; the protector of its territory during the Cold War as well as the guardian of many of the Dutch overseas interests.
