Page 538 - Le Operazioni Interforze e Multinazionali nella Storia Militare - ACTA Tomo I

538 XXXIX Congresso della CommIssIone InternazIonale dI storIa mIlItare • CIHm

ship, observation platform (directing air attacks, mine look-out, leading amphibious
landings), carrier and cruiser escort, constabulary vessel during the coastal blockade as
well as (later) monitoring the truce, and transporter. The familiarity with British materiel
and with the offensive doctrine of the Royal Navy, as well as the high level of training,
were contributing factors in this respect. Given the many operations close to the coast,
their flexibility in adapting to a brown water environment was also key.
For the Dutch politicians, the objective of the naval mission in Korea in terms of
policy and strategy was to please the United States, which had been acting as guard-
ian of the territory of the Netherlands since 1949. Given the responses of the American
authorities and media, as well as later praise received from the U.S. Navy and the Royal
Navy concerning the Dutch deployment, that objective had been reached. In addition,
with this naval mission carried out under the UN flag, the Netherlands was able to re-
store its status as champion of matters such as the international rule of law and the crea-
tion of a multinational force, a status which had been damaged at home and abroad by
decolonisation issues.
With their professional efforts in Korea, the Dutch naval forces also succeeded in
increasing their own national and international prestige. In the Netherlands, it helped to
promote the existing good reputation of the navy, and as a result, the mission indirectly
contributed to the securing of sufficient budget for a strong fleet. In the end, the partici-
pation in combined and joint UN forces not only received appreciation from the British
and American navies. It was also the prelude to them accepting the role of the Dutch
naval forces as an ocean-going fleet within NATO.

Archives
Nationaal Archief, Archief Ministerie van Buitenlandse Zaken, The Hague.
Nederlands Instituut voor Militaire Historie, The Hague.
Semi-Statische Archiefdiensten Ministerie van Defensie, Rijswijk.

Bibliography
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the Defence Council, September 1967.
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Brouwer, J.W.L., ‘Oorlog en Marine: een einde aan de impasse’, in: J.J.M. Ramakers
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