The government will keep the air raid siren and develop a new system with the Ministry of Defence. This was announced by Minister of Justice David van Weel (VVD). In a letter, he described the plan as a “new, innovative siren network that meets the demands of the present day” and can be operated nationwide.
The system’s future was uncertain because funding was lacking and it risked being phased out by 2028. A majority in the House of Representatives wanted the air raid siren to remain. Van Weel wrote on X that it is “important that the government can warn people in a timely manner and in multiple ways”. The siren will continue to exist alongside NL-Alert as a tool to quickly reach large numbers of people.
According to the minister, the current air raid siren, officially known as the Warning and Alerting System (WAS), is due for replacement. It can emit only one type of sound, which limits its use to certain disasters and crises. “As a result, it is currently rarely deployed as a warning tool,” he said. The siren is also not audible to part of the population.
In peacetime, NL-Alert is sufficient, Van Weel said. Relying on a single warning system would be vulnerable if the Netherlands were targeted.
@anp | NEWS BRAINPORT
