From today (Wednesday 12 November) all 17-year-olds in Belgium will receive a letter calling on them to sign up for a year’s voluntary military service in the Belgian armed forces. The Flemish Youth Council is critical of the tone of the letter and says that if a job advertisement placed on the Flemish Employment Service’s (VDAB) website was written in the same style, there wouldn’t be many applicants for the job. Nevertheless, the Belgian military hopes that a least 1,500 young people will sign up.
“Congratulations! Next year you will turn 18. This is an important milestone and a time when you will make choices for your future. The Ministry of Defence is offering you a unique opportunity, a voluntary Military Service Year”
This is how the letter that was sent to around 130,000 17-year-olds in Belgium at the end of last week begins. The aim of the letter is to encourage them to sign up for a year with the armed services. In return they will be given a salary of at 2,000 euro/month, luncheon vouchers, their medical costs will be refunded and they will be able to travel free of charge on public transport to and from work.
After an intensive 10-week basic training course, followed by a specific training course lasting 1 to 3 weeks (depending on the position), they will start work at a military barracks, where they will “take part in exercises and operations”.
The Defence Ministry says that the military service year "is a unique opportunity to develop both personally and professionally, make friends for life and gain work experience”. What's more, “you will be actively contributing to the future of our country, in an international context in which we must be prepared and ready to act."
“Defence is a form of collective insurance”
Anna Roos of the Flemish Youth Council believes that the latter will certainly appeal to young people. She is the chair of the Flemish Youth Council and has noticed how young people are concerned about military conflicts around the world. “Sudan, Ukraine, Gaza. Every day, social media shows horrific images of war. You can't ignore it. The current issue of drones is also a cause for concern”, she told VRT Radio 1’s morning news and current affairs programme ‘De Ochtend’.
“In the past, defence was a niche issue. But now it has such an important impact on so many people in the world and perhaps soon also on our own security as well. We see defence as a form of collectieve insurance.”
Nevertheless, Ms Roos is not really certain that the letter will encourage youngsters to join up. “Although experts on young people were consulted, the letter is rather dryly worded. It does not contain much information. If this had been a vacancy on the VDAB website, not many people would have applied. A year of your life is a long time, especially when you are 18”.
Those that are interested will be given more information during info sessions that will take place between 22 November and 7 December. Attendance at once of the sessions is compulsory for anyone that wishes to do the military service. "There is only session per province, while 149,000 letters have been send. I am curious about the practicalities of this."
Anna Roos understands why the Ministry of Defence is focusing on 17-year-olds. “I am 21 and a student, so a year of military service is no longer an option for me. Many 18 to 26-year-olds have already made important choices in their lives. I think becoming a reservist is more appealing to us.”
Target of 1,500 applicants
The Ministry of Defence expects around 1,500 young people to apply to do a military service year. Of these, 500 will ultimately be able to start, this represents 0.38% of all the young people that hab been received a letter. 375 will do their military service in the army, 75 in the air force and 50 in the navy.