Netherlands aims for 130,000 citizen reserves by 2030

The Dutch House of Representatives (Tweede Kamer) has nearly unanimously approved a motion to significantly scale up the number of citizen reserves to 130,000 by 2030. This initiative aims to provide an additional layer of support for emergency services, including the police, fire department, and military, particularly during the critical first 72 hours of a major crisis.

These volunteers will be trained in specialized fields such as technology, logistics, and security, covering roles like mechanics, drivers, and security personnel to maintain vital infrastructure during disruptions like power outages, IT failures, or flooding. While the initiative is largely funded by private companies and individual funds, the motion requests that the Ministry of Defence support the expansion by providing in-kind contributions, such as training grounds and classrooms.

The program builds on the work of the social initiative BurgerReserve, which expects to have trained approximately 1,000 citizens by the end of 2026. A separate motion was also passed calling for the establishment of additional specialized citizen reserves by 2027.