SWOC/T Analysis of the
Koninklijke Marechaussee
Security: Actors, Institutions and Constellations
Crisis and Security Management
Student number: 4015576
Word Count: 2725
, 1. INTRODUCTION
The Koninklijke Marechaussee (KMar) is as a prominent security institution in the
Netherlands, operating under the Ministry of Defense. Its responsibilities consist of border
police tasks, security, and military police duties (Ministerie van Defensie, 2022a). The KMar
has a unique history, evolving from its post-World War II transformation into a military
Gendarmerie. Over the years, it expanded its role to include airport policing and security,
notably at Schiphol, before attaining its current status within the Dutch armed forces in 1998
(Ministerie van Defensie, 2023a).
The KMar is considered a public policing body, as its primary activities are geared towards
ensuring the security of the Netherlands (Button, 2002, p. 6), and it operates entirely under the
responsibility of the Ministry of Defense. Therefore, the organization can be classified as
policing by the government (Loader, 2000, p. 326). Furthermore, the unique position as a
gendarmerie force with responsibilities in both military and civilian policing could potentially
classify it as an organization within the broader category of policing by the government. This
is due to its role in maintaining public order and security under both military and civilian
jurisdictions, which aligns with the characteristics of policing by the government.
This SWOC/T will explore the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and challenges/threats of
the KMar. These findings will be presented in the following chapters, first focusing on the
internal environment with its strengths and weaknesses, followed by an examination of the
external environment, encompassing opportunities and challenges/threats.
2. INTERNAL ENVIRONMENT
2.1 Approach to Security
The highest priority of the KMar is safeguarding the security of the Netherlands. As
mentioned before, the KMar is responsible for a wide range of tasks. Therefore, the marginal
value approach would fit most appropriate for the KMar (Baldwin, 1997, p. 19-21). The
marginal value approach would allow the KMar to assess the value of security in each of these
contexts and allocate resources accordingly, recognizing that the value of an increment of
security depends on how much of it one already has. A potential shortcoming of this marginal
value approach is that it demands a precise and accurate assessment of the value of security in
each specific area, which can be challenging to achieve in practice. However, since 2018, the