The number of Belgian soldiers on standby for NATO is set to triple or even quadruple by 2025, outgoing Defence Minister Ludivine Dedonder confirmed on Friday.
The expansion means there will be nearly 1,500 troops stationed in Belgium ready to be deployed within weeks or even days, if required by NATO.
Dedonder confirmed the news while presenting Belgium's operational defence plan for 2025 at a press conference in Poland on Friday. "The goal remains deterrence, but also to increase our readiness level," she said.
Between 650 and 1,400 soldiers will be deployed abroad in 2025, depending on the time of year. This represents a 20% increase compared to last year.
A detachment of 300 soldiers will carry out a rotation in Romania within NATO's multinational tactical group to protect the Alliance's eastern flank.
In 2025, Belgium will also return to KFOR, NATO's force in Kosovo. This will include the first operational engagement of the new reconnaissance drone capability of the Chasseurs à Cheval battalion, or ISTAR (Intelligence, Surveillance, Target Acquisition and Reconnaissance).
The four Belgian F-16s that conducted an air defence mission in Lithuania in 2024 will be deployed to Iceland next year to "consolidate the Belgian presence in Northern Europe".
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Since late 2022, nearly 3,300 Ukrainian soldiers have been trained by Belgian instructors. This mission will continue in the coming months, focusing on areas such as infantry, combat engineering, and medical care. A detachment of 55 Belgian personnel will spend three months in Portugal training Ukrainian soldiers to pilot F-16s.
Belgium is one of the lowest spenders on defence among NATO members, having invested around 1.2% of GDP (gross domestic product) on defence this year.
While the outgoing government had promised to boost spending, Belgium is still struggling to reach the 2% spending benchmark for NATO members.
