MSS Defence is a Dutch defence and security supplier based in Maasdijk, founded in 2010 by Derk Wisman, a former officer in the Royal Netherlands Marines. We work with European Special Operations Forces, tactical police units, and the broader armed forces and law enforcement organisations that operate at the demanding end of the spectrum.

We are a specialist supplier, not a generalist one. We curate ten focus brands across five capability domains: observe, communicate, conceal, protect, and unmanned. We reach across 150+ further suppliers when a customer’s requirement extends beyond what we keep on the shelf. The customer gets one specialist, one purchase order, and one conversation from advisory to delivery. The complexity stays on our side.

We win contracts because we move at the customer’s tempo, not ours. A unit with a specific requirement on Monday expects an answer by Tuesday. A demo within weeks. A quote within days. That is the discipline this company is built around, and the reason units that test our equipment under pressure tend to specify it again when the next procurement comes around.

How we work.

Our way of working is drawn from Admiral William McRaven’s framework on special operations. The same framework many of our customers use to organise their missions. McRaven identified six principles that distinguish successful operations from unsuccessful ones: simplicity, security, repetition, surprise, speed, and purpose. We have built our company around them.

SIMPLICITY.

Simplicity is what the customer experiences. One specialist who understands their mission. One purchase order across ten focus brands and 150+ accessible suppliers. One conversation from advisory to delivery. Behind that simplicity sits a deliberate choice on our side. To curate, not catalogue. We have made the harder choice so the customer doesn’t have to.

SECURITY.

Security is the foundation of every long-term relationship we have. End-user agreements are respected by default, no exceptions. We do not publish customer names, photos, or unit insignia. Operational details belong to the customer, not to us. The cases we are most proud of are the ones we cannot tell.

REPETITION.

Repetition means we return after delivery. Equipment that hasn’t been trained on becomes a liability under pressure. McRaven’s principle applied to gear instead of operators. Familiarisation iterations are available on request, never compulsory, never priced as add-on. We support the unit’s training cycle, not impose our own.

SURPRISE.

Surprise is what happens when we listen for the underlying capability gap rather than the stated requirement. A unit asks about communications, we show them how their thermal signature is the bigger problem. They didn’t ask for multispectral cover. But they leave with it on their requirement list. Cross-pollination between theatres (what works in Ukraine informs Europe) is part of how we get there.

SPEED.

Speed is the principle most visible from the outside. Days, not months. From request to demo to quote, with sales authority on quotes, NDAs, and demos. Direct manufacturer relationships rather than waiting lines. Stock where demand justifies it. Named-day fulfilment with key partners on the rest. A unit with a serious question on Monday expects a serious answer by Tuesday. That is the discipline we hold ourselves to.

PURPOSE.

Purpose is the question of why. Most of us are former servicemembers, and our purpose is maximum involvement with the end-user. When that matters, everything else moves out of the way.

THE TEAM.

The homepage of this website states “specialist operators and senior military advisors”. This is who that means.

PATRICK CAMMAERT.

Chairman. Major General (ret), Royal Netherlands Marine Corps. Former UN force commander in Cambodia, Bosnia/Herzegovina, Ethiopia/Eritrea, and Congo. Adviser on peacekeeping, security sector reform, and civilian protection.

DERK WISMAN.

CEO and founder. Former officer in the Royal Netherlands Marines. Founded MSS Defence in 2010 to build the kind of supplier he had wanted to deal with as an end-user himself.

Dave van der Kaden.

COO. Joined MSS Defence in 2017 right after his studies and worked his way up from Sales Manager to operational leadership. Today he oversees the day-to-day operations of the company, ensuring that every order – from quotation to delivery – meets the standard end-users expect.

Jonne Hooimeijer.

Business Development Director. Former SF teamleader with recent operational experience in European special operations. He translates first-hand knowledge of the modern battlefield into practical advice for customers, helping units select equipment that actually performs under real-world conditions.

Svitlana Sosnovska.

Head of Ukraine Desk. She runs MSS Defence’s support to Ukrainian armed forces – a function the company set up in 2022 and continues to invest in. Working closely with Ukrainian units and procurement channels, she ensures that critical equipment reaches the front line quickly and reliably.

Arturo Vega.

Marketing. Joined MSS Defence over two years ago and started out in sales. Now focuses primarily on online marketing, bringing the company’s capabilities to the attention of end-users worldwide.

THE PORTFOLIO.

The portfolio is the most visible expression of how we work. Ten focus brands across five capability domains: observe, communicate, conceal, protect, and unmanned. Each one selected because it solves a specific problem the demanding end-user actually has, and because we can speak about it with operational authority rather than catalogue summary.

WHY TEN AND NOT A HUNDRED.

Most defence distributors carry hundreds of brands and dozens of categories. They have to, it is the volume model. We chose the opposite. Ten focus brands means our specialists know each one in depth, can demo it without preparation, and can answer the unstated question behind the asked one. The customer benefits from depth. We benefit from clarity. 

BEYOND THE PORTFOLIO.

When a customer’s requirement extends beyond what we keep on the shelf, we have two answers. The first is access: 150+ further suppliers we work with on demand, used carefully and only when the brief justifies it. The second is Special Projects: sourcing beyond domain, R&D, systems integration, advisory work. When the answer doesn’t exist in any catalogue, we build it, integrate it, source it, or advise on it.

WHAT WE WON’T DO.

We are not the cheapest. We do not compete on lowest price, and we do not pretend to. We do not sell to markets outside NATO and adjacent demanding users. And we say no when a project does not fit, including projects we could have taken for the revenue.

WORKING WITH US AS A MANUFACTURER.

If you make equipment that solves a real problem for special operations forces or higher-end police units in Europe, you may already know whether your product fits our portfolio. The five domains – observe, communicate, conceal, protect, unmanned – define the boundary. We do not extend beyond them, and we do not maintain a long bench of “potential” brands waiting for a place.

THE BAR.

A focus brand earns its place by solving a problem better than the alternatives we already carry. Our specialists must be able to demo it under pressure, defend it against competitors, and stand behind it when an end-user asks the unstated question. That requires depth. Which means we curate ten brands, not a hundred. Adding an eleventh means removing one. We do that rarely.

HOW IT WORKS IN PRACTICE.

f you believe your product fits, the first step is a conversation with our Business Development Director – Jonne Hooijmeijer, a specialist operator with recent operational experience in European special operations. He will tell you honestly whether the gap exists in our portfolio, what evaluation looks like, and what the realistic timeline is. Most conversations end politely and quickly. The ones that don’t are the ones we build long relationships from.

GET IN TOUCH.

Address Jonne Hooijmeier at jonne@mssdefence.com

COMPLIANCE AND DISCRETION.

Compliance and discretion are not separate functions at MSS Defence. They are how we work with everyone: customers, manufacturers, regulators. Both follow from the same principle: the customer’s information belongs to the customer, and the work belongs in the rules.

EXPORT CONTROL.

We operate under Dutch export legislation and EU dual-use regulation (Regulation 2021/821). Where applicable, we comply with ITAR and EAR requirements for components of US origin. End-user certificates and end-use statements are part of every transaction. We screen every transaction against current EU and UN sanctions lists before delivery.

WHO WE SELL TO.

We sell to NATO armed forces, NATO-aligned national authorities, and adjacent demanding users: special operations units, tactical police, and equivalent organisations. We do not sell outside this circle. The decision to refuse a sale is made at the same authority level as the decision to accept one.

DISCRETION AS POLICY.

End-user agreements are respected by default. We do not publish customer names, photos, or unit insignia. We do not use customer logos in marketing materials. We do not write case studies that identify a unit, a deployment, or a specific procurement. Operational details belong to the customer. Internally, we apply need-to-know discipline on every account.

DISCRETION AS POLICY.

For specific compliance, licensing or end-user documentation requests contact Dave van der kaden at dave@mssdefence.com