Belgian defence minister Theo Francken (Flemish nationalist N-VA) wants to speed up the action plan against drones, especially after last week's incident at the military base in Elsenborn. Mr Francken was speaking in San Francisco, where the minister is participating in an economic mission to promote Belgian industry among (potential) clients in the US. "The situation is urgent " he noted with concern engraved upon his face.
Belgian defence minister Francken wants to speed up drone action plan after Elsenborn incident
Colin Clapson
Published:
A number of measures that were not planned until 2026 will be launched this year. ‘I will submit the dossier to cabinet within two weeks,’ said Francken. ‘We have lost too much time. That is why we must accelerate our efforts; the situation is urgent. We are not at war, but we are in a military crisis. The threat is becoming increasingly acute.’
Ukrainian President Zelensky has already called drones and AI a greater threat than nuclear weapons. Francken agrees. "Because you don't use nuclear weapons, or almost never, they are simply too destructive. Drones, on the other hand, are used every day. They are another way of waging war, of exerting pressure, of spreading panic and destabilising a society.
Drone general
Francken has appointed General Michel Van Strythem, who is on the same mission with chief of staff Frederik Vansina, as Belgium’s “drone general”, “possibly the first in the world”. Van Strythem will now help shape the action plan.
First and foremost, the defence ministry wants better reporting of drone incidents, in a structured manner. In addition, it also wants to collaborate with Skeydrone, a subsidiary of Skeyes, the company that manages Belgian airspace. Skeydrone recently received the Common Information Services Provider (CISP) certificate for authorised drone flights, using sensors spread across the country.
The defence ministry also wants to equip its military bases with this system, thereby ‘complementing Skeydrone's coverage’. All this information would then be integrated within a NASC (National Air Security Centre) located in Bevekom (Walloon Brabant), similar to the existing maritime information hub. Finally, the defence ministry also wants to invest in counter-drone systems for class 1 and 2 drones, up to 600 kilograms.
On Sunday, Francken was unable to say exactly which technology this would involve. ‘That will be in my file. One of the conditions is that it must be available quickly,’ he said. According to the minister, no additional budget will be needed for these investments in 2025. ‘I am already very happy with the 2 per cent of GDP, that should be enough.’
Russians?
Francken could not say much more about the drone incident at Elsenborn (Liege Province). ‘We know there were several drones,’ he said. ‘Were they Russian drones? That is a real possibility because it is happening all over Europe, but it is not easy to trace. So that will be investigated further. But we must arm ourselves against that threat.’
Chief of staff Vansina also says that the investigation is still ongoing. ‘We still don't know where the drones come from, who is behind them and what their purpose is. But they have a disruptive effect,’ says Vansina. The drones above Elsenborn may have had a wingspan of 1 to 2 metres, ‘so you don't just find them in shops’ he added.
He noted that drones have been spotted all over Europe in recent weeks and that it is therefore ‘logical’ that Belgium is also a target. According to the army chief, this is ‘psychological warfare comparable to cyber attacks (...) The Russians are masters at engaging third parties’.