Army Recognition
According to De Morgen on June 2, 2025, Belgium plans to rebuild its ground-based air defense capabilities with the acquisition of ten Norwegian NASAMS (National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile System) batteries, as part of a €36 billion military investment strategy led by new Defense Minister Theo Francken. This strategic planning effort is being finalized ahead of the June 2025 NATO summit in The Hague, where alliance members are expected to raise the defense spending guideline from 2 percent to 5 percent of GDP.
Belgium, which has not yet met the existing 2 percent target, has reached an internal agreement to increase defense spending. The new plan is intended to meet capability targets defined by NATO and reassure allies of Belgium’s alignment with alliance obligations. Of the total €36 billion in planned acquisitions to be contracted by 2035, €28 billion is to be effectively spent. The reintroduction of air defense systems addresses a long-standing gap since the dismantling of Belgian anti-air capabilities in the 1990s. Before that, Belgium operated a layered system including long-range Nike Hercules batteries, medium-range MIM-23 Hawk systems, short-range Roland missiles, Bofors L70 anti-aircraft guns, and Mistral MANPADS, primarily managed by the 14th Air Defence Artillery Regiment. By the late 2010s, Belgium’s national air defense relied almost entirely on F-16 fighters and the NATO Integrated Air Defense System (NATINADS), leaving the country without a real surface-to-air missile coverage.
