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Military power of Netherlands & France
Netherlands vs France
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Netherlands is a country located in Western Europe with an area of 41,543 km2 (land boundries: 1,053 km and costline 451 km). The capital of Netherlands is Amsterdam. The number of inhabitants is 17,469,635.
The Netherlands is a member of NATO and was one of the original 12 countries to sign the North Atlantic Treaty. Belgium, Netherlands, and Luxembourg signed an agreement to conduct joint air policing of their territories in 2015. They trade responsibility for patrolling the skies over the three countries. The inventory of the Netherlands Armed Forces consists of a mix of domestically-produced and modern European and United States equipment. The Netherlands has an advanced domestic defense industry that focuses on armored vehicles, naval ships, and air defense systems
More about Netherlands militaryFrance is a country located in Western Europe with an area of 640,679 km2 (land boundries: 3,956 km and costline 4,853 km). The capital of France is Paris. The number of inhabitants is 67,413,000.
France was one of the original 12 countries to sign the North Atlantic Treaty, which created NATO in 1949. France and the UK signed in 2010 a declaration on defense and security cooperation that included greater military interoperability and a Combined Joint Expeditionary Force. The CJEF was assessed as having full operating capacity with the ability to rapidly deploy over 10,000 personnel. The French military's inventory consists mostly of domestically-produced weapons systems, including some jointly-produced with other European countries. France has a defense industry capable of manufacturing the full spectrum of military weapons systems.
More about France militaryIf you want to check the comparison in terms of economic ratios check out CompareEconomy.com
Military expenditures
 NL |  FR | |
|---|---|---|
| Military budget: | 16.6 billion $ | 60 billion $ |
| Percent of GDP: | 1.6% | 1.9% |
Manpower
| NL | FR | |
|---|---|---|
| Active personnel: | 41,199 | 270,000 |
| Reserve personnel: | 6,532 | 141,050 |
| Available for military: | 7,728,129 | 14,563,662 |
Land Forces
| NL | FR | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Tanks: | 18 | 406 | |
| Armoured fighting vehicles: | 1,116 | 6,748 | |
| Total artillery: | 75 | 119 | |
| Self-propelled artillery: | 52 | 96 | |
| Rocket artillery: | 0 | 11 |
Air Forces
| NL | FR | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Total aircraft: | 183 | 1,143 | |
| Fighter aircraft: | 0 | 26 | |
| Multirole aircraft: | 61 | 144 | |
| Attack aircraft: | 0 | 66 | |
| Helicopters: | 82 | 478 | |
| UCAV (combat drone): | 4 | 16 |
Navy
| NL | FR | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Total naval: | 144 | 111 | |
| Aircraftcarriers: | 0 | 4 | |
| Destroyers: | 4 | 10 | |
| Frigates: | 2 | 12 | |
| Corvettes: | 0 | 0 | |
| Submarines: | 4 | 10 |
☢ Nuclear weapons
Netherlands
Netherlands participates in the NATO nuclear weapons sharing arrangements and trains for delivering United States nuclear warheads.
France
France managed to research and develop its own nuclear weapon in 1960. The test, known as, Gerboise Bleue, was the result of mostly French research. One of the main figures that played crucial role in the entire process of developing the bomb was General Pierre Marie Gallois. He was concerned that the Suez Crisis, which started in 1956, would show the world how insignificant France became, since out of all Great Powers in the world, they were the only one without possessing its own nuclear arsenal. The tests were conducted on the terrains of Sahara Desert.
At this moment France owns 300 nuclear warheads, out of which almost all are deployed. What is more, compared to Great Britain, they made more tests, approximately 210. Noteworthy is the fact that the development of the first nuclear bomb in France as well as its tests were a bit controversial. It was due to the fact that France allowed Israeli observers to attend the tests, providing them with almost unrestricted access to all the data. It was quite important, since Israel, together with United Kingdom and France, were trying to invade Egypt.
Military service
Netherlands
17 years of age for an all-volunteer force.
France
18-25 years of age for male and female voluntary military service; no conscription; 1-year service obligation; women serve in noncombat post.
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