Belgium will start a voluntary military service program following the Netherlands.
To increase the number of reserve soldiers, letters providing information about voluntary military service will be sent to 18-year-olds in Belgium following a recently announced initiative in the Netherlands.
Belgian Defense Minister Theo Francken announced that the country, which currently has around 6,600 reserve soldiers, may implement voluntary military service to raise that number to 20,000. Following a similar initiative recently announced in the Netherlands, letters will be sent to encourage 18-year-olds to join the army within this year. On the other hand, Belgium currently has a limit of 6,000 reserve soldiers, which has already been surpassed. Francken notes that there is significant demand, but all training programs are full and there are not enough trainers to meet the increasing demand for military service. Francken's plan will allow for the employment of an additional 500 reserve soldiers through voluntary military service starting in 2026. This number will rise to 1,000 per year from 2027 onwards. The goal is to recruit around 5,600 reserve soldiers by 2029. Those who prefer to register for military service will do so for one year and will earn about 2,000 euros per month, parallel to the initial salary of a soldier. Those who decide not to join the army after one year will have to remain as reserve soldiers for 10 years.
A Dutch initiative based on the Swedish model confirmed that the Netherlands aims to increase its military personnel from 70,000 to 200,000 by 2030, more than doubling the number. 17-year-olds will be asked to fill out a questionnaire on a voluntary basis, but this questionnaire may eventually become mandatory. In Sweden, it is already mandatory for 17-year-olds to fill out a comprehensive survey regarding their skills, motivations, and inclinations towards defense. The Dutch army currently offers individuals aged 18 to 27 the option to pursue a career in the military for one year, referred to as a "service year." Dutch Defense Minister Gijs Tuinman hopes the questionnaire will encourage more people to participate.
18-year-old Matthias began his voluntary military service in the Dutch army in October. Matthias stated, "I wasn't sure if this profession was for me, so I chose the service year to be able to try it out for a year." Daily training, first aid in combat, and barracks life follow the same rhythm as that of a career soldier. Erik Noordam, serving as a Captain-Lieutenant in the Dutch army, said, "People want to contribute, but they don't know what it means to be part of the army." He added, "The threshold for applying for a long-term contract is quite high. The service year breaks that down." "The service year is a very simple way to try out the army." Noordam emphasized, "In 2022, after Russia's invasion of Ukraine, the need for defense suddenly came to the forefront. That's when the situation became much more urgent." "We also decided to establish the service year at that time."