‘BAM! Crash move! In the middle of the night. And then everyone starts running,” says the youngster about her year of service in the Navy

“Bivouac is not for me and I often wanted to quit, especially in the first week,” says nineteen-year-old soldier Esther Dorgelo about camping during the training. Her dream to sail the seas made her persevere. “When I finally got that beret after eight weeks of training, I felt really proud,” she says with a broad smile.

The pride has now made way for tension. Dorgelo and a fellow serving soldier, 27-year-old Margot van der Linde, are standing on the helicopter deck of the Zr.Ms. De Ruyter in Den Helder. This frigate with its sharp angles and gray steel construction stands out against the clear blue sky. There is an impressive on-board cannon at the front of the ship, and a large, black radar installation rotates in the air on top of the frigate.

It is April 29 and today the crew is preparing to leave port and set sail for Plymouth, in the United Kingdom. The final phase of the training program led by the British Navy begins there. Van der Linde and Dorgelo are preparing for the first six weeks away from home. Van der Linde has been on board De Ruyter since October, Dorgelo for two weeks. “I find it really exciting,” says Dorgelo. “Everything is new and I have no idea what to expect.”

Sea service

While the Minister of Defense, Kajsa Ollongren (D66), it is not “imaginary [acht] that NATO will become involved in a large-scale military conflict within a few years”, defense is struggling with a major personnel shortage. Due to this shortage, the Defense Year was launched in September 2023, with which young people aged 18 to 27 gain work experience for a year.

After Dorgelo obtained her pre-university diploma, she considered studying veterinary medicine. But when she was preparing for the entrance test, she became tired of the school desks. She registered for the ministry year, just like 1,800 other young people. Defense has now appointed 302 full-year soldiers.

Military soldier Margot van der Linde had been teaching biology at a pre-vocational secondary school for a few years, but she was always interested in the navy. So she started training to become a naval officer. She soon realized that this did not suit her: “You spend a lot of time in your head and give orders to others. I wanted to work with my hands and do the work myself.”

We hope to increase the number of places to a thousand by 2025. The ultimate goal is four thousand placesChristophe van der Maat State Secretary for Defense (VVD)

On board Zr.Ms. De Ruyter employs approximately two hundred crew members. The frigate acts as the operational heart of a group of naval vessels. It has two main tasks: air defense and command and control. For air defense, the ship is equipped with radars and missiles, with which it can detect and intercept enemy aircraft.

On the day of the sailing aboard Zr.Ms. De Ruyter everyone is busy. As the servicemen make their way through the narrow corridors and stairs, crew members pass by. In the hallway, a sailor kneels near a tangle of wires while a colleague maneuvers a vacuum cleaner through the cramped space. Another crew member walks by with a large bowl of fruit.

Everyone is busy with the final preparations before the ship sails to Plymouth to begin the final phase of an intensive training program. The ship will be tested for six weeks, including simulated attacks.

Scale up

Defense is working to extend the service year, says outgoing State Secretary Christophe van der Maat (Defense, VVD) in a telephone conversation. “We hope to scale up the number of places to a thousand by 2025. The ultimate goal is four thousand.”

Although more than half of the applicants have a HAVO or VWO background, they form a diverse group, according to Van der Maat: “We have both practically and theoretically trained boys and girls, from the Randstad and the province.”

According to the State Secretary, the purpose of the service year is not only to recruit new soldiers, he also wants to “offer young people an experience that they will carry with them for the rest of their lives,” he says. “They learn self-reliance and structure, spend a lot of time outside and spend less time on their phones.”

Before current service members can work on board a naval ship, they must complete the First Maritime Military Training, just like professional sailors, a training course consisting of eight weeks of classroom lessons and a physical training camp. “You’re finally in bed at two o’clock in the morning, and then: BAM! Crash move!“, says Esther Dorgelo. “Then everyone starts running and you have to quickly pack your things and report.”

Also read
In the Navy: ‘War feels closer than ever’

Binoculars

Now that Dorgelo and Van der Linde work on the ship, they perform the same tasks as regular professional sailors, for the same salary. Over the next six weeks they will spend most of their day and sometimes night in the command center, on the bridge of the ship or on the deck. They then stand on the lookout with binoculars and keep an eye on shipping traffic.

“The sunrise and sunset are the most beautiful things you can experience during a working day,” smiles Van der Linde. Then she points to the dozens of radar screens that fill the command center. Texts flash and dots light up on the screens. “With this we keep an eye on other ships and aircraft and determine whether they are friendly, enemy or neutral.”

Dorgelo is considering permanent service in the Navy after her year of service. Van der Linde then wants to travel for one or two years. She also wants to join the navy as a reservist – part-time soldier. “If I am at home between traveling, I can work for the defense.”

To share

Email the editor