The Netherlands reduces its cooperation with the United States in drug enforcement operations in the Caribbean region.
The Netherlands has decided to reduce its cooperation with the United States in drug enforcement operations in the Caribbean, limiting its role to Dutch territorial waters and ending its participation in military operations led by Washington at sea.
During a visit to Aruba, Dutch Defense Minister Robben Brinklemans confirmed that the Netherlands will no longer participate in independent U.S. operations to combat drug trafficking in international waters. According to the newspaper Trouw, this step represents a deliberate distancing from the U.S. military operation known as Southern Spear.
The Southern Spear operation is fully managed by Washington and involves the use of military force to disrupt ships suspected of being involved in drug trafficking at sea. The Dutch government has confirmed that it will not support this approach and will not provide any facilities or resources for operations involving the use of lethal force outside the Dutch jurisdiction.
In recent months, U.S. forces have destroyed at least 36 fishing boats at sea, resulting in the deaths of around 115 people. Reports indicate that these actions were carried out without legal procedures and without conclusive evidence proving the ships' involvement in drug trafficking, which contradicts the Dutch legal approach.
The Netherlands confirmed that it will continue its efforts to combat drugs within its territorial waters, but it will no longer deploy warships, such as the Friesland, on missions that involve the use of military force outside its control. While intelligence sharing with the United States will continue, the Ministry of Defense clarified that Dutch participation will exclude any operations that could lead to casualties at sea.