It looks like there is a big ammo shortage in the Dutch Army that soldiers during training have to resort to shouting "Bang! Bang!" to imitate gunfire. Most of the ammo have been devoted to missions overseas where the Dutch armed forces are involved such as peacekeeping missions.

According to a report from RTL News, "The shortage of ammo has been around for some years now, but now the situation is so dire  that there is frustration amongst staff." This report was based on an email that was leaked from the Dutch Defence Ministry, which states that the shortage has been so acute that some necessary training exercises have been cancelled.

Even the soldier's union, the Vakbond voor Defensiepersoneel (VBM), say that the lack of ammo is having an impact on the troops' morale. "Even if you don't have bullets to use, you still have to train with your weapon, " Jean Debie, the Chairperson of the VBM told RTL News. "That means, as a soldier, you say ‘Bang, Bang!’ This is obviously disastrous for the morale of the military. You do not want to do this to a professional."

Retired Major-General Harm de Jonge was also quoted that soldiers should be refining their shooting skills on a daily basis. But with no practive using bullets for months, the shooting skills of the soldiers were no longer relevant. He also stated that with that lapse, they have only have a few months to rebuild confidence in the weapon and that the loss confidence is extremely serious.

The Ministry of Defence acknowledged to RTL News that the problem is real saying that supplies are tight due to high consumption of ammo in overseas missions, long delivery times due to lower ammo availability from manufacturers, and the long procurement process. Once additional funding available with the 2015 Defence budget, the stockpile will be replenished. The Dutch government actually increased the defence budget for 2015, which is €8 billion up from €7.6 billion in 2014 and promised an annual increased spending in real terms of €100 million according to the European Leadership Network.

Well, perhaps the Dutch Defence Ministry would like to have with the Dutch Airsoft Association (NABV) for some ammo supplies and airsoft rifles. At least airsoft BBs is in abundance in Europe given the heavy presence of airsoft companies in the continent. Furthermore, soldiers still get to play with realistic looking firearms. Perhaps the Defence Ministry might want to include in its budget an allocation for airsoft rifles and supplies as a backup for training in case the ammo shortage continues.

Photos: Dutch Soldiers in Exercise Allied Spirit I at Hohenfels, Germany, last January 2015.  Taken by Visual Information Specialist Markus Rauchenberger, U.S. Army.