"‘The Sound of Freedom’ The regional socioeconomic impact of the American presence at Soesterberg Air Base (1954-1994)"

Soesterberg, the cradle of Dutch military aviation, has a long, well documented, military history. The American 32nd Tactical Fighter Squadron, stationed at Camp New Amsterdam (the American section of Soesterberg Air Base) from 1954-1994, has similarly received substantial literary and public attention. However, few studies have sought combine an analysis of the motivations for the Dutch-American military cooperation at the base with an investigation into the Americans’ regional socioeconomic impact. This thesis seeks to fill that gap. The central research question for this thesis is: ‘What social and economic effects did the US presence at Soesterberg Air Base have on the region?’. Three sub questions guide the investigation towards a broader understanding of the American presence at the base, and place the American impact in a larger context. An analysis of base politics and soft power and how these theories apply to the American presence at Soesterberg Air Base reveal its role in the larger, global, American base network. An analysis of the Dutch and American motivations highlights the asymmetrical relationship that emerged between the countries after the Second World War. An examination of the Americans’ economic impact on the region found that it was quite limited. Similarly, the extensive range of clubs and facilities offered at the base restricted the Americans’ direct social impact. Moreover, a comparison with the socioeconomic impact of American bases in West Germany further illustrates the small scale of the American presence at Soesterberg Air Base. Nonetheless, the American presence at Camp New Amsterdam has received a prominent position in the regions military history, which itself has seen increased in public interest since the opening of Park Vliegbasis Soesterberg in 2014.