The Belgian army’s elite Special Forces Group (SFG) will start recruiting civilians directly in January 2024, under a new fast-track procedure.
The new recruitment procedure breaks with a tradition whereby soldiers first had to undergo paracommando training to join the unit.
It should allow recruits to join more quickly without first going through the traditional military career, says Lieutenant-Colonel Christophe Comhair, commander of the unit.
Currently, active military personnel have to wait three, five or seven years, depending on whether they are ordinary soldiers, NCOs or officers respectively, before applying to the SFG.
The new selection and recruitment phase will start early next year and end in May 2026. It includes an entry test, a 10-week military initiation period, a 16-week professional training, a commando and paratrooper’s licence, an eight-week basic course, a one-week qualification selection and finally a five-month final qualification course.
Those who pass the tough tests may join the elite unit in May 2026.
The Special Forces Group was active, for example, during the Red Kite operation in Afghanistan in 2021. It is known to maintain a high level of secrecy.
