“One shot, bang-bang.”
Dutch soldiers are low on bullets, so low in fact that instead of using them in training, soldiers are shouting “bang-bang” when they shoot their weapons to signify a shot.
This news was leaked from an email sent from the Dutch Defence Ministry to RTL Nieuws which said the lack of ammunition had caused a series of problems including the cancellation of a number of compulsory shooting drills.
Stated in the email is the basic fact: “I cannot make it better, but there’s really no ammunition.”
The lack of bullets has led to other problems on the force including low troops’ moral and battered confidence.
Jean Debie, chairman of VBM told De Standaard: ‘Even if you have no bullets, you have to train with your weapon. That means you have to call out bang-bang-bang.”
“That is of course disastrous for the morale of the military. You do not want to do this to a professional.”
Responding to the issues the Dutch defence ministry has told broadcasting company NOS that the problem has been caused by “high consumption” and “long delivery times.”
Surprisingly, considering the lack of ammunition, a report from the European Leadership Network states “It is the first time in over a decade that Europe’s fifth-largest economy will spend more rather than less on defence.”
Next thing you know they’ll have fake guns.
Hat-tip to the Belfast Telegraph
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