Welfare over warfare

Military presence is becoming stronger in our everyday lives, at public events, and in education. But the prospect of a safe and hopeful future seems to be disappearing. A safer world starts with investing in poverty reduction, not in the military-industrial complex, Yeşim Topuz says.

Drone simulators for at least 10-year-olds? Well, that’s something you might have seen if you, too, went to Rotterdam’s Haven Dag two weeks ago. When I got ads for the event, I didn’t know what to expect. Honestly, I thought it was going to be a boat show or something like that. I didn’t expect to see this much military presence and potential recruiting.

While this might have been on me, it made me think about how military presence is becoming stronger in our everyday lives, at public events, and in education.

It is no secret that the military needs new people. This is not just an ‘issue’ the Dutch are facing – it is not too different for Germany, France or England. So how do you get young people to (voluntarily) join the military?

With the Ministerie van Defensie’s increased PR and marketing, the number of applications has been rising. Campaigns such as ‘Generatie D’ are mentality campaigns that aim to create a sense of urgency. This is harder for a country like the Netherlands, which doesn’t have a ‘warlike’ tradition compared to the U.S. Social Media is becoming an increasingly important recruiting tool, alongside increased recruitment budgets.  A more recent strategy has been to attract women. Seems like gender equality isn’t just something for companies but the military too!

Beyond that, governments have been working to bring this into classrooms. Since 2021, as part of the Dutch veteran program, they have been visiting schools and giving guest lectures. In Belgium, it has even been proposed to introduce a new mandatory course like ‘war medicine’. Or German politicians are debating whether to introduce possible war scenarios in lessons to sensitize students.

The government/military are creating a bond between the military and the public sphere through their presence at public events. For the youth, war and preparing for it becomes a logical part of what’s to come. Moreover, research funds are going toward developing military technology. More than a hundred countries have increased their national defense budget. According to the UN, 2700 billion was invested in the military complex in 2024, with the potential to reach 3500 billion by 2030 if this trend continues.

The issue is that redefining this security culture comes at the expense of our welfare state, diplomatic tools, and peace initiatives. It is increasingly permeating everyday life. This type of pre-military education and politics teaches young people to accept war as inevitable rather than something to be prevented.

Amidst all this war fever, the prospect of a safe and hopeful future seems to be disappearing. A safer world starts with investing in poverty reduction, not in the military-industrial complex.

_Advertentie.