Our objective in this complex jigsaw puzzle is to help the MoD to determine the missions which can be foreseen by the Belgian Defence in the next 15 years. The main strategic mission of the armed forces is to protect our population and our society against threats inside or outside our territory; to protect our expatriated fellow citizens and to protect our allies’ territorial integrity. Some military capacities are still so essential for our national security that we can neither reduce nor abolish them.
If our army downsizes, commanding structures will also have to be reduced. The link between these structures and operational units has to be adapted. It will be beneficial for the operational units and lead to a more efficient command.
Like other countries, Belgium must guarantee the future of veterans, giving them the possibility to work in public departments. It is a matter of respect and gratitude towards those who served their country. The well-being and health of our servicemen have to be consolidated by investments and a better supervision.
After several recurrent reforms in the Belgian Defence, we can speak of a restructuring fatigue amongst the military community. With a good and transparent social dialogue as well as progressivity, the Strategic Plan and its induced changes could be more easily accepted by the army personnel.