Belgian Army

The Belgian Armed account, in 2005, 26  400 men in the Army, 8  600 in the aviation, 2  400 in the marine and 2  000 with the medical department, is a total of 39  400 men . Recruitment is primarily based there on the voluntariate of career since the suspension of the Military service (on March 1st, 1995). To that are added the principles of voluntary reserve (military career or civilian having signed an engagement) and obligatory (only for the members of the framework and this, during one limited duration).

From the constitutional point of view, the king is the chief of the armies. It is based however on a structure made up of a qualified minister on the matter, who chapeaute in his turn the work of the chief of Defense, more military high ranking authority of the country. This last prepares the elements for the development of the policy of national defense and advises its Official Authority about the operations planned and in progress. It also ensures the follow-up of the political decisions taken by the federal government, as well as the administrative management of the public department concerned.

Manpower of the army are distinguished in four components:

  • Component Ground ( Landcomponent in Dutch)
  • Component Air ( Luchtcomponent )
  • Component Maritime ( Marinecomponent )
  • Component Medical ( Medische Component )
Each one of it being put under the supervision of a general officer.

The Belgium is founding member of the Organization of the treaty of the North Atlantic (NATO), whose seat is with Brussels.

Communication of the army

The communication of the army gives " Priority with the paix". One understands by there that this army must be projectable to intervene quickly and prevent the wars rather than to resist a massive invasion. With the official site, finished big silence.

Recruitment accentuates " Save vies" and the " testing-ground vaste" like the world. One especially notes an investment in the brand image bound for youth: training courses, free loan of material and even of infrastructure, days open doors,…

Army

Armament

Vehicles

  • Leopard-1A5: Tank (143)
  • Fighting vehicles of infantry:
    • AIFV-B : 236
    • YPR-765 : 60 (including 56 specialized)
  • Transport of troops:
    • Pandur : 50
    • M-113: 486 (including 284 specialized)
    • Spartan: 83 (including 7 specialized)
  • Vehicles of recognition:

The near future will see the replacement of all the tanks and tracked armored vehicles by armored vehicles with wheels:

  • 242 of which a first firm control of 138 Piranha III coming from the program AIV
  • 352 of which a first firm control of 220 Krauss-Maffei-Wegmann (KMW) Nutcase II coming from program MPPV

Air force

  • Hunting: F-16 MLU : 72 credits/18 holds
  • Transport of it:
    • C-130H : 10 since the fire which has occurred in the night from May 4th to 5th 2006 in the buildings of Sabena Technics to the Airport of Brussels and which destroyed the CH-02.
    • A-310 : 2
    • ERJ-135: 2
    • ERJ-145: 2
    • Falcon-900B: 1
    • Falcon DA-20: 2
  • Drone S: B-Hunter: 16 (two drones shot down in Democratic republic of Congo in August 2006)
  • Helicopters:
  • Schooling:
    • Alpha Jet: 33 bought, remains 29 about it (based on the basis of French Cazaux)
    • SF-260M: 36 (more than 23 in-flight status, in the course of modernization since 2006)
    • SF-260D: 9 (version IFR)

December 14th, 2005 was decided by the Council of Ministers the purchase of 10 NH90 which will have to replace from 2009 Sea King and Alouette III.

Navy

History of the Belgian military navy

The Belgian navy was setting-up in catastrophe in 1831 to try to pare out of Antwerp the Dutchmen and to take again the control of the the Scheldt. It was called the royal Navy until in 1862, date of its disappearance, the Belgian government renonçant with the Navy. The royal Navy was illustrated especially by the goélette Louise Marie and her lieutenant of 1st class Van Haverbeke.

In 1888, the captain count de Borchgrave d' Altena, is useful in the French navy aboard the battleship Suffren ; it will be at the origin of the new military navy, while creating in Antwerp, a small flotilla of 4 drain-holes, which, in 1914, will be blocked on the Scheldt by Hollandais.
When the first war bursts, there still does not exist Belgian military navy. This one will progressively reconstitute needs, initially on the Lac Tanganyka with the Congo, where the Belgians must face a German flotilla, then in 1917 by the creation of a deposit of the crews with Calais, finally by the creation of a detachment then of a body of Destroyers and Marins with Zeebrugge in 1923. However, in 1927, a royal decree removes again the Belgian Navy, on March 31st.
Although on September 15th 1939, the ministry mobilizes partially the Body of navy and affects three old pilot boats to him being used as patrol craft, two high-speed motorboats, three trawlers and two tug boats, it will be under the impulse of the lieutenant Victor Billet, that the Belgian section of Royal Navy will be created in England in 1940 and will become the Belgian Naval force, on February 1st 1946.

Today

  • Frigate S: 2 Wielingen ( F910 Wielingen and F911 Westdiep )

  • Hunters of mines: 6 Tripartite class (M915 Aster, M916 Bellis, M917 Crocus, M921 Lobelia, M923 Narcis and M924 Primula)
  • Support: 1 ( A960 Godetia )
  • oceanographical Ship of research: 1 ( A962 Belgica )
  • river High-speed motorboat: 1 ( P902 Release )
  • Various: 3 (A950 Valcke, A963 Stern, A996 Albatross)
  • Boat school: 1 ( A958 Zenobe Gram )

The two current frigates will be probably sold with the Bulgaria and will be replaced by two frigates of the class Karel Doorman (standard M) repurchased with the royal Navy of the Netherlands. The two Dutch frigates will be the F827 Karel Doorman becoming the F930 Leopold 1 (with Nivelles like godmother city) and F829 Willem van der Zaan becoming F931 Louise-Marie (with Saint Nicolas's Day like godmother city).

Medical department

Chronological list of the generals Belgian since the Independence of 1830

19th century

20th century

21e century

  • Michel Singelé

Internal bonds

External bonds

  • Official site
  • 3 {{E}} regiment of Lancers

Random links:Marcel Bouqueton | Devon island | .hu | Jaime Moreno | Christian Gauthier | Aéroport_de_Perth