Defence Minister Theo Francken (N-VA) plans to triple the number of reservists in the Belgian Army from the current 6,600 to 20,000, Het Laatste Nieuws reported on Monday.
In November, Belgian citizens aged 18 will receive a letter offering them to partake voluntary military service. 500 young people will be selected in the first year, followed by another thousand in subsequent years. Participants will receive a monthly income of €2,000.
Those who leave the army after their service may be called back for up to ten years. They agree to remain available to the army for a few days a year to provide reinforcements in case of conflict.
The minister also announced the creation of a new brigade within the Belgian Army's Land Component, as reported by Sudinfo. The Dutch-speaking brigade’s command centre will be established in Leopoldsburg, while the French-speaking brigade’s command centre will be in Marche-en-Famenne. Additionally, a bilingual regiment will be located near the linguistic border.
The reform aims to enable each brigade to focus on its primary mission: training and combat preparation, in line with NATO directives. NATO has requested Belgium to provide two operational brigades: one light brigade and one medium brigade.
