Germany and the Netherlands Collaborate on Joint Military Internet

The governments of Germany and the Netherlands have agreed to create the world’s first joint military internet. The project, called “Tactical Edge Networking” (TEN), will receive €12 billion in funding, with financial support planned through 2030. The agreement was signed by German Defense Minister Ursula von der Leyen and Dutch Defense Minister Ank Bijleveld in Brussels during a meeting of NATO defense ministers.

Project Details and Structure

According to the military journal European Security & Defence, the TEN headquarters will be located in Koblenz, Germany, while the technology design and prototyping center will be based in Amersfoort, Netherlands. In the initial phase, TEN will establish a connection between the German Army’s ground operations program (D-LBO) and the Dutch Ministry of Defense’s tactical communications program, FOXTROT.

Background and Integration

In 2018, both Germany and the Netherlands launched their own programs to prepare their armed forces for operations in the digital domain—D-LBO (formerly known as MoTaKo, or Mobile Tactical Communication) in Germany, and FOXTROT in the Netherlands. Under the TEN initiative, these two programs will now be integrated.

Unified Equipment and Operations

Troops operating within the TEN network will use identical computers, radios, tablets, and phones, regardless of the country of manufacture. This standardization aims to improve interoperability and efficiency during joint military operations.