Aviation News July 2, 2025 – The Royal Netherlands Air Force has formally changed its name to reflect its growing role in space operations. From now on, it will be known as the Royal Netherlands Air and Space Force, with the Air Force Command (CLSK) becoming the Air and Space Command (CLRS). The renaming ceremony took place at the National Military Museum in Soesterberg — the birthplace of Dutch military aviation.
The timing and location were symbolic. On July 1, exactly 111 years after the founding of the original Aviation Department in 1913, the Netherlands took a significant step in embracing space as a full-fledged military domain. It was in Soesterberg that the first military aircraft — the Brik built by Van Meel — took flight, and now it is where the space domain has officially been incorporated into Dutch defense operations.
“Space is no longer a luxury — it is essential”
Outgoing Defence Minister Ruben Brekelmans opened the event by stressing the increasing importance of space in military operations. “What began as pioneering the skies has now extended far beyond the atmosphere,” he said. “The war in Ukraine and the conflict in the Middle East have both demonstrated just how vital space-based capabilities have become — from satellite imagery and communication to navigation. Space is not a luxury; it is a strategic enabler. It is the foundation on which modern armed forces operate.
”He emphasized that the formal establishment of space as a domain within the armed forces reflects the reality of today’s battlefield: “We are no longer treating space as a project. It is a domain in its own right.”
A joint force effort
The decision to place space operations under the Air Force’s responsibility was a natural one, said Brekelmans, noting that the Air Force already possesses the relevant expertise, infrastructure, and personnel.
Lieutenant General André Steur, newly appointed as the first Commander of the Air and Space Command (C-LRS), underlined that the space domain is not the exclusive domain of the Air Force. “This step is for the entire Dutch Armed Forces,” he told attendees and defense personnel watching via livestream. “Space is an independent domain with its own dynamics, but it also increasingly influences operations on land, at sea, in the air, and in cyberspace. This integration strengthens our ability to act in a coordinated and effective way. It is a direct investment in joint operations.
”With the renaming, the Netherlands joins a growing number of countries formally acknowledging the strategic significance of space in defense — not as a futuristic concept, but as a present-day necessity.
Photo Rob Vogelaar
