In November, all 17-year-olds in Belgium will receive a letter with information about a voluntary year of military service. Defence Minister Theo Francken (Flemish nationalist N-VA) is eager to establish a new voluntary military service for young people. More information about the service has now become available. In addition, the defence ministry also wants to double its workforce over the next decade.
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Voluntary military service for youngsters to start as defence ministry payroll doubles in a decade
Colin Clapson
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All 17-year-olds in Belgium, some 130,000 young people in total, will soon receive an invitation. In November, information sessions will be held in each province. Digital sessions will follow. Registration for vacancies opens in January 2026. Anyone between the ages of 18 and 25 is eligible to apply.
The best candidates will be selected during the summer period, after which they can start their year in September 2026, with a salary of 2,000 euros net per month.
The defence ministry aims to see 3,500 candidates starting the selection process. 500 of them will ultimately be allowed to start their year of service. 1,000 places will be reserved for 2027, after which the number will gradually increase to a maximum of 7,000. The youngsters will work in security positions in the navy, air force and army.
Doubling of defence ministry staff
Today also marks the start of a new recruitment campaign by the defence ministry. By 2026, 4,800 vacancies will have been advertised, another record. This includes 2,800 jobs for military personnel, 1,050 for reservists and 960 for civilians. The defence ministry wants to double its workforce to 34,500 military personnel, 12,800 reservists and 8,500 civilians within 10 years.
The defence ministry is looking for all kinds of profiles, says Margot Van Waeyenberghe, who is responsible for recruitment. ‘The days when you could only join the defence ministry to become a paratrooper are long gone,’ she says. 'We are looking for IT specialists, warehouse staff and technicians, but also psychologists, educators, prevention advisors and so on. We offer jobs in every field and for every level of education.'