Total defence in the Netherlands Mission impossible?

Especially since 2022, policymakers in the Netherlands have displayed a greater interest in defence and security. These topics are increasingly seen in the broader context of the security of the national way of life. They have started planning for conventional defence, like they did during the Cold War era, and, in line with their colleagues in Northern and Eastern partners in NATO and the EU, they are discussing the whole-of-government and whole-of-society approaches to security. Compared to many other countries discussed in this volume, in the Netherlands the development of these concepts proceeds slowly, however, and the path towards a modern implementation of total defence is full of obstacles. This chapter sets out to explain the relatively slow pace of implementation of the concept of total defence in the Netherlands.