Major defence network outage: What does it mean for the Netherlands?

“The Hague Ring Network is a defence project that connects all ministries,” explains technology expert Bert Hubert. The network is a vast array of fibre optic cables that form a large circle between ministry buildings. It is a private internet for communication between different government agencies such as the Coast Guard and other ministries. “The network has been around longer than the internet itself and is designed to ensure secure communications,” Hubert confirms.

Possible causes of the malfunction

The Defense Department has yet to provide detailed information about the cause of the glitch, but according to Hubert, there are a few possible scenarios. “It’s not a simple failure. There are multiple things going wrong at the same time, which points to a possible software issue,” Hubert said. He added that it could be a botched software update or a hacker attack, though that has yet to be confirmed.

Eindhoven Airport, officially a defence airport, was severely disrupted by the disruption. “The airport was unable to allow planes to land or take off for hours,” says reporter Danny Simons. The situation caused major disruption for passengers who were transferred to other airports.

Risks of a non-operational airport

Hubert points to the crucial role Eindhoven Airport plays in national security: “The airport has F35s ready to respond to threats. The failure here is particularly serious, because these aircraft are essential to defending our airspace.”

Prime Minister Schoff described the disruption as “very annoying” and compared it to normal technical problems, such as phones that occasionally don’t work. Hubert responds critically: “It seems as if the top brass in The Hague don’t fully understand the seriousness of the situation. For them, a day without a system can be a nuisance, but for someone in an ambulance, it’s much more serious.”

Single network risks

The outage also exposed the bigger problem of relying on a single network. “In the Netherlands, different organisations often choose the same network without coordination,” Hubert explains. “The idea is that one system works, but if that system fails, we are left empty-handed.”

The situation remains worrying until the cause of the outage is fully identified and fixed. “It appears we are dealing with a serious network outage that goes beyond a simple cable break,” Hubert concluded. “This has serious implications for communications and security in our country.”