Toespraak staatssecretaris Tuinman bij Blue Magic Netherlands
De toespraak is alleen beschikbaar in het Engels.
Good afternoon, everyone.
It’s truly great to be here – at MELT at Avular, in the heart of Brainport Eindhoven. Standing here today, I can feel it – that buzz, that unmistakable energy that only exists where innovation meets purpose. It’s the same energy I’ve felt during military operations in the field, when teams work side by side – when creativity, courage and commitment fuse into something that is greater than the sum of its parts.
That same energy is alive here today. Exactly the kind of energy our armed forces need – right now.
Let me begin by saying that we have every reason to be proud of what’s happening in Eindhoven, and throughout the Netherlands. Because what we are witnessing here is not just industry in motion. It’s national strength in motion.
And that strength is needed! The world around us is changing fast – and not for the better. Russia’s brutal war against Ukraine is entering its fourth winter. Every day brings new images of destruction – of drones, missiles, and cyberattacks. Russia deliberately targets Ukraine’s power grid, plunging families into cold and darkness.
And let’s be clear: Putin is not only fighting Ukraine. He’s testing the resolve of all of Europe. Russian drones are crossing into NATO airspace. Russian fighter jets are probing our borders. Sabotage and cyberattacks have become part of daily reality.
For the first time in NATO history, our F-35 pilots – including Dutch pilots – have shot down hostile drones over NATO territory. Across Europe, airports have been forced to shut down due to the presence of unidentified drones. That’s how close the threat has come. That’s how real it is.
We live in what NATO calls a ‘pre-war zone’. I call it a wake-up zone. Because in this grey area between peace and conflict, one truth remains: peace is only preserved through strength. Strength in mindset. Strength in readiness. And strength in the industrial backbone that enables our armed forces to act fast.
Credible deterrence begins in our factories, our labs, and our workshops. It begins in the partnerships between Defence, General Atomics, and all of the companies represented in this room. You are the ones who make our soldiers stronger, our systems smarter, and our nations safer. From space and cyber technologies, to counter-UAS, sensors, AI and automation.
And that is why your innovation matters. We are not here today to talk about gadgets. We are here because innovation saves lives. When we innovate, we give our soldiers better eyes, sharper ears, stronger shields. We give them the edge they need to come home safe.
Blue Magic connects startups, scale-ups, and SMEs with investors and OEMs – not to have OEMs and major companies take them over, but to grow, to learn, and to cooperate together. It’s about dual-use innovation – the fusion of civil and military creativity. It’s about tearing down the walls between the lab and the battlefield, between the startup and the soldier.
15 minutes per pitch – that’s all you get here. But in those 15 minutes, an idea can become a capability. A startup can become a partner. A prototype can become protection.
Last year, we saw it happen. 3 of the 2024 participants – Emergent Swarm Solutions, Saluqi Motos, and Arceon – went on to receive support and forge new partnerships. Blue Magic opened doors that had been closed to them before. That’s the power of this platform!
If we truly want to be ready, we must build resilience before crisis strikes. That’s why Defence is changing course. We are no longer satisfied with simply placing an order and waiting for delivery. We want to be a strategic partner – working shoulder to shoulder with industry, researchers, and financiers.
One example is our newly announced Counter-UAS Challenge – a call to industry to build an offensive counter-drone system. We did not write 400 pages of requirements. We simply stated the desired effect: to neutralize a hostile drone as quickly as possible after it is launched.
We designed this challenge together with Defport, our public-private collaboration platform. Through Defport, we work with banks, knowledge institutions and companies to strengthen and prepare our defense industry for the challenges ahead.
With the Counter-UAS Challenge, we’re inviting industry to form consortia, to experiment, and to deliver. In June 2026, we aim to conduct operational tests. If you are interested – please, let me know!
That’s the new mindset. In the words of Blue Magic: Innovate. Collaborate. Transform. Not as a slogan, but as a habit.
Just last month, I signed an agreement with General Atomics to co-develop a new small unmanned aircraft system – low cost, multi-role, and co-produced with the Dutch company VDL Defentec, based in Born. Funded by our Ministry of Defence, built to serve both Dutch and allied needs. Together, we’re combining our strengths – uniting Dutch innovation with American scale and experience.
For decades, the Netherlands has proven itself to be a trusted partner to the United States – in production, maintenance, and high-tech innovation. From the F-16 and F-35 fighter jets to the C-130 transport aircraft, we’ve shown what we stand for: reliability, creativity, and world-class expertise. Even when protectionist winds blow, transatlantic cooperation remains essential. The challenges we face are bigger than any one nation. Together, we are stronger, smarter, and ready for whatever comes next.
Ladies and gentlemen,
If I’ve learned one thing in the field, it’s this: wars are not just won by the side with the biggest arsenal. They are won by those with the fastest feedback loop – by those who can innovate, collaborate and transform more quickly than anyone else.
Look at Ukraine. David has been fighting Goliath for more than three-and-a-half years now. They may be outnumbered, but they are not out-innovated. That’s the spirit we need to embrace here, too.
My message today is simple: Defence cannot do this alone. We need every link in this chain – every company, every region, every innovator.
And what better place to see that in action than right here, at Brainport Eindhoven – the beating heart of the Dutch high-tech manufacturing industry! From ASML to Avular, from photonics, quantum and sensors to optical communication, this region doesn’t just create technology, it creates possibility.
When I look at you all – the makers, the thinkers, the innovators of our nation – I know that we have what it takes. So let’s make this our shared mission: to innovate together, to scale up together, and to deliver.
I would like to thank General Atomics, NIDV, BOM, Brainport Development, the Ministry of Economic Affairs, Lockheed Martin, NATO/DIANA, and ODIN, the regional innovation coordinators of our Ministry of Defence – for making this second edition of Blue Magic Netherlands possible. And to all the innovators, entrepreneurs, and engineers in this room – thank you for being here today. That is how we prepare for war. That is how we preserve peace. And that is how we protect everything we hold dear.
Thank you.