Belgian Defence Minister Theo Francken (N-VA) has proposed to his government partners to increase defence spending to over 2% of GDP before the summer, a target initially set for 2029.
He plans to use part of the budget to purchase additional F-35 aircraft, in addition to the 34 already ordered. “We do not have the capacity to choose anything other than F-35s,” Francken stated in an interview with De Tijd on Saturday.
Francken also aims to convince his government partners to deploy Belgian troops as part of a peacekeeping force in Ukraine, once a peace agreement with Russia is in place. “The day there is a peace agreement signed by Russia, recognising an international force to maintain safety, it seems reasonable for Belgium to participate. Just as we did in Kosovo,” he explained.
To accelerate the development of Belgium’s defence industry, the Muyters Directive will be repealed. This directive currently prohibits Flemish universities from researching purely military technologies. Lastly, the minister intends to compensate companies that allow employees to join a military reserve responsible for domestic security tasks.
