Belgium abolished mandatory military service in 1995, operating with an all-volunteer military force. The defense department has been keenly interested in recruiting young men to join since it became apparent that Belgium would become involved in the Russia-Ukraine-NATO war. Defense Minister Theo Francken issued a message on X: “All 17-year-olds in the country are encouraged to learn about the Ministry of Defence and, in particular, to volunteer for military service. Let’s get started!”
Clearly, there is a reason for concern. The military recently implemented a voluntary program aimed at young men aged 18 to 25, offering a monthly salary of 2000 euros for enrollment. The defense department is hoping to recruit 500 new soldiers in the short term, but plans for a full-scale military expansion of 7,000 new troops.
The youth cannot find jobs; Belgium has one of the highest rates of youth unemployment among EU members at 16.75%. Employment opportunities are extremely limited on a regional basis as well. The Brussels-Capital area has a youth unemployment rate a bit above 17%, but places like Wallonia exceed 20%, and in Flanders, over 30% of the youth cannot find employment. The average salary in the nation across all sectors was 3,700 EUR, but the average soldier is taking home 57,860 EUR. The youth can find secure stable employment within the military, earning 35,520 EUR annually with no prior experience. Governments historically have a far easier time building their militaries when youth unemployment is high.
Russian drones have infiltrated Belgium’s airspace on several occasions this past year. The neighboring nations have had formal diplomatic ties for over 165 years with strong bilateral trade. Yet, Belgium is beholden to Brussels and NATO. The EU has been pressuring Belgium to break ties with Russia, demanding that it implement sanctions and use frozen Russian assets to finance Ukraine. Belgium need not pick a side as it is already aligned with two globalist organizations that override national sovereignty.