The Dutch press has over the last days been carrying reports how two patrolling Dutch F-16 fighters rescued an American Black Hawk helicopter over Afghanistan. The helicopter came under fire from the ground and requested assistance. The two Dutch jets came to the rescue, and their mere presence was enough to stop the enemy fire. The incident took place at night, and the Black Hawk was flying without any lights on, so the F-16's had to use their infrared sensors and night vision equipment to track the helicopter down. According the reports, the USAF was impressed by the quick response of the Dutch F-16's.

I'm glad to see that the Netherlands is contributing something useful to the American effort, even if it is only in such a small way. The general state of the Dutch armed forces is not particularly up-to-scratch, but at least they are keeping the F-16's flying. Having a full set of armed forces here in the Netherlands is just plain silly. The Dutch armed forces can only be meaningful in a broader alliance such as NATO. The defense budget is spread much too thinly over too many aspects, as the Dutch military is still trying to do too many things. There are two ways in which the Dutch defense budget can be used productively: either focus on a few tasks and do them really well so as to support other NATO (i.e. US and British) forces when necessary, or the simpler option of scrapping all Dutch armed forces and sending the money to the Pentagon. We're completely dependent on the US for our security anyway, and the marginal dollar spent by the Pentagon is going to be much more useful than spending it on the Dutch military.

Finally, I can't help but wonder whether the USAF was simply being courteous to an ally when it said it was "impressed" with the Dutch F-16's response. With radar, infrared sensors and night vision equipment, isn't finding the Black Hawk easier at night than during the day? Still, with all the complaining I do here I thought I'd focus on something more positive for a change. I'm glad to see that the Netherlands can and does do something useful in support of the US.