Editing Netherlands Armed Forces (section)

=== Counterpiracy ===
As a [[maritime nation]] and birthplace of the earliest [[Admiralty law|maritime law]], the Netherlands have historically highly valued the [[Mare Liberum|''mare liberum'']] principle. Hence, the Dutch government decided to contribute a significant amount of naval assets to combating [[piracy off the coast of Somalia]] since its most recent surge starting in 2005. The Royal Netherlands Navy was an active contributor to NATO's [[Operation Allied Protector]] and [[Operation Ocean Shield]], as well as to the [[European Union]]'s [[Operation Atalanta]]. Ships partaking in these missions included [[De Zeven Provinciën-class frigate|''De Zeven Provinciën''-class frigates]], [[Amphibious transport dock|landing platform docks]] [[HNLMS Rotterdam (L800)|HNLMS ''Rotterdam'']] and [[HNLMS Johan de Witt (L801)|HNLMS ''Johan de Witt'']], and submarines of the [[Walrus-class submarine|''Walrus''-class]]. Additionally, [[surface combatant]]s permanently carried [[Naval boarding|boarding teams]] of the [[Netherlands Marine Corps]]. These boarding parties were often composed of operators of the [[Netherlands Maritime Special Operations Forces]] (NLMARSOF). In addition, conventional marine units supply Vessel Protection Detachments (VPDs) which continue to guard Dutch merchant vessels during transits through piracy-prone waters as of 2021.

The Dutch naval forces were regularly engaged in combat. Firefights between the naval ships and Somali pirates have cost the lives of pirates on multiple occasions.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Koelé |first1=Theo |title=Twee piraten gedood bij bevrijdingsactie marine |url=https://www.volkskrant.nl/nieuws-achtergrond/twee-piraten-gedood-bij-bevrijdingsactie-marine~b716361c/ |access-date=1 August 2021 |work=[[De Volkskrant]] |date=3 April 2011 |language=nl}}</ref> During the [[Action of 5 April 2010]], a boarding team of the [[M-Squadron|Unit Interventie Mariniers]] liberated [[container ship]] MV ''Taipan'' after rappelling down from [[HNLMS Tromp (F803)|HNLMS ''Tromp'']]'s helicopter onto containers on the ship's deck under the cover of machine gun fire.<ref>{{cite web |title=Pirated German ship rescued – EU NAVFOR HNLMS Tromp retakes pirated MV Taipan |url=http://www.eunavfor.eu/2010/04/pirated-german-ship-rescue-eu-navfor-hnmls-tromp-retakes-pirated-mv-taipan/ |publisher=EU NAVFOR Public Affairs Office |access-date=1 August 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100608093841/http://www.eunavfor.eu/2010/04/pirated-german-ship-rescue-eu-navfor-hnmls-tromp-retakes-pirated-mv-taipan/ |archive-date=8 June 2010 |date=5 April 2010}}</ref> The successful operation was filmed with a helmet camera, the video footage reached worldwide [[news media]] and gained millions of views on [[YouTube]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Spektakuläres Video: Wie die Holländer ein deutsches Containerschiff befreiten - SPIEGEL TV |language=de |trans-title=Spectacular video: How the Dutch liberated a German container ship - SPIEGEL TV |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xa4KMJRkQds |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211211/Xa4KMJRkQds |archive-date=2021-12-11 |url-status=live |website=[[YouTube]] |publisher=[[Der Spiegel (website)|Der Spiegel]] |access-date=1 August 2021 |date=4 May 2010}}{{cbignore}}</ref> Moreover, NLMARSOF [[Frogman|frogmen]] have successfully conducted sabotage operations of pirates' [[Mother ship|motherships]] by clandestinely attaching explosives to the ships' [[bilge]].<ref>{{cite news |title=Kikvorsmannen onderscheiden voor saboteren piratenschepen |trans-title=Frogmen awarded for sabotaging pirate ships |language=nl |url=https://nos.nl/artikel/2310276-kikvorsmannen-onderscheiden-voor-saboteren-piratenschepen |access-date=1 August 2021 |work=[[Nederlandse Omroep Stichting|NOS]] |date=13 November 2019}}</ref>