Criticism of Belgian defense armaments investments

Why does Belgium need an army? (updated 19/07/2025)

If a larger nation were to attack Belgium, Belgium could not do much against it precisely because Belgium is so small. This does not mean that the Belgians cannot fight. The Belgians fought very hard in both the First and Second World Wars, but the small Belgian army cannot stand against the superior force of a large invading army. This is not a matter of morale or fighting spirit, but of reality.

Belgium needs an army:

To protect its sovereignty and its population.
To comply with the general national security strategy by being part of a larger entity such as NATO.

Neutrality a solution?

After the Second World War, Belgium concluded that neutrality offered no guarantee of security. Neutrality offered no security against the Germans in the First World War, nor in the Second World War. Neutrality is meaningless for Belgium, which led Belgium to join Pax Americana and become one of the co-founders of NATO and the European Union.

Small Belgium seeks its security by being part of a larger team such as NATO and the European Union.

Belgian contribution as a NATO member in the past

Firstly, Belgium has primarily invested in the past in an army that could participate in foreign military operations within NATO context.

Secondly, the Belgian Navy has the important task of keeping Belgian ports, especially Antwerp, open for the transport of military equipment. This means not only combating mines at sea but also combating submarines that could sink supply ships.

During the Cold War, Belgium had compulsory military service, and military spending was 3% of GDP, just like in other European countries at that time.

However, just like in other European countries, investments in the Belgian army were reduced until in 2014 even below 1% of GDP. Belgium sold its Leopard tanks and its heavy 155mm artillery, which meant it no longer had a fully-fledged land army.

Belgium is rearming.

The war in Ukraine has changed the military thinking of the Belgian Army and NATO. A general rearmament of European countries has been launched. Investments in defense are set to reach 2% of GDP in this legislative period, and NATO has requested up to 5% of GDP.

The rearmament also focuses on the main tasks of the Belgian Army. On the one hand, protecting Belgian territory and its citizens, and on the other hand, making a useful contribution to NATO.

Protecting Belgian territory.

The development of hypersonic missiles means Russia can hit any city in Europe. The protection of Belgian territory and its population has therefore expanded. In addition to the Belgian navy, which must protect Belgian seaports with new modern frigates and mine countermeasures vessels, there is now also an important task for Belgian air defense, which, with modern NASAMS anti-aircraft missiles, must protect important locations such as NATO headquarters, the port of Antwerp, and military bases against drone and missile attacks.

New Belgian armament.

Regarding the weapon systems Belgium purchases for its NATO contribution, the Belgian Army has little say. A think tank of NATO experts evaluates which weapon systems NATO is short of and then asks the NATO country to invest in them.

New F35 fighter jets

The extremely expensive F35 fighter jets form the backbone of NATO's air forces, and European countries such as the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Italy, Norway, Denmark, Poland, and Finland already form a European fleet of modern fighter jets. Although Belgium is small within NATO, it can add 34 + 11 additional hypermodern F35 fighter jets to NATO's air defense. This is a highly respected contribution within NATO due to its high-tech nature.

New frigates and minehunters

Clusters of countries are emerging within NATO that cooperate on the purchase of military equipment. The Belgian navy also works together with the Dutch navy, and joint purchases are made. For example, Belgium has ordered 3 new frigates and 6 new minehunters in cooperation with the Netherlands.

New Griffon and Jaguar armored vehicles

Belgium has purchased new French Griffon and Jaguar armored vehicles. These expensive wheeled armored vehicles are part of the latest SCORPION program, which features modern software integration and an advanced network for battlefield information. With these, the Belgian army, together with the French army, is steps ahead of other European countries with their light armored vehicles. France has three brigades using the latest battlefield information network, and Belgium, for its NATO commitment, will be able to add an additional brigade of modern light armored vehicles to it.

New 155mm cannons

Belgium has purchased 24 new modern but expensive CAESAr cannons and will invest in a production line for 155mm ammunition. With this, Belgium contributes to NATO's 155mm ammunition problem.

New MQ9 drones

Belgium has purchased four new MQ9 drones with armaments. These expensive and modern unmanned reconnaissance and attack aircraft contribute to the fleet of unmanned aircraft within NATO, and importantly, in line with Belgian policy, these will now also be armed.

Is Belgium on the right path with its defense?

Yes, but... the basic goal of Belgian Defense is to build a military force useful to the larger NATO framework or another type of European army to contain the aggressor at Europe's external borders for as long as possible so that the threat does not reach Belgium.

Although Belgium, as a small country, can only make a limited contribution to NATO, Belgium provides a limited number of expensive and high-tech weapon systems to NATO. No NATO commander will ignore or consider Belgian efforts inferior. In doing so, the Belgian Army fulfills its general national security strategy to make a useful and honorable contribution to NATO. 34 hypermodern F35 fighter jets represent a strike force that within NATO is taken into account, but...

Criticism of Belgian armament

How can there be criticism if Belgium buys the best of the best everywhere?

Criticism of Belgian armament is also criticism of European armament, given that Belgium follows NATO's recommendations.

If Russia had had very expensive modern Leopard tanks, they would also have been shot to pieces by American Javelin anti-tank missiles in Ukrainian hands.
NATO's promise to deliver 1 million 155mm shells to Ukraine within 1 year, of which only 1/3 of the promised number could be delivered.

NATO's belief in the superior qualities of military equipment over the quantity of equipment is a point of criticism. Quality over quantity. The war in Ukraine has shown that the quantity of military equipment is also a very important factor. This criticism is debatable given the usefulness of high-tech equipment, but the question remains, how quickly can these complex systems continue to be produced in sufficient numbers?

A fairly recent example is that expensive F35 fighter jets have fired half a million Euro Sidewinder missiles at Russian drones made of styrofoam and plastic that cost only a few thousand euros. The Sidewinder air-to-air missile is an excellent high-tech missile, but it costs a lot of money in proportion, the supply of Sidewinder missiles is very limited and the production time is very long. How quickly can large quantities of Sidewinder missiles be replaced?

Belgium will have modern F35 fighter jets, will have the latest frigates and minehunters, will have a modern SCORPION light brigade, will have modern artillery. All very good and expensive equipment, but in small quantities!

Although Belgium and the whole of Europe are expanding their military industry, there are no producers (apart from Rheinmetall) that can produce large quantities of military equipment as is the case in Russia.

F35 and second type of fighter jet

The F35 has excellent technical characteristics as an offensive fighter jet but is less suitable as a support aircraft. In Ukraine, F16 fighter jets are mainly used to shoot down drones. A second type of European-made fighter jet, to support the F35 with the aim of protecting Belgian territory against incoming drones, will become a necessity given that the F35 is less suitable for this. In several countries, Eurofighter Typhoon fighter jets are already being upgraded with new radars that can detect smaller drones.

Millions of drones

As an example from Ukraine, a modern army needs millions of drones, both large and small FPV drones. It is estimated that Ukraine will be able to produce around 3 million drones per year by 2025. The Belgian drone problem will not be solved with a few very expensive MQ9 drones. Although the Belgian army has its drone general, the industry is totally unprepared to produce thousands of drones, and the drone control system is changing rapidly. The drones purchased today will be obsolete tomorrow. Yet 70% of casualties on the battlefield are caused by drones. Belgian drone and anti-drone policy will still have to evolve, with drones and anti-drone weapons becoming standard equipment for every soldier.

Belgian army decides not to buy large quantities of drones yet.

The Belgian army has decided not to buy thousands of drones. Rightly so, although current drones are already causing many fatalities, military drones are not yet technically mature. There are three types of drones:

FPV drones: The first First Person View drones were Chinese drones from the civilian trade that were first used for reconnaissance and later converted to drop explosives. These drones are controlled via a radio signal that can be disrupted, causing the drone to fall uncontrolled.

Drones with fiber optic cable: Drones with fiber optic cable are the fiberoptic drones that are currently widely used by the Russians. They use a reel with a long thin fiber optic cable for control, meaning their communication cannot be disrupted by a jammer. These drones are very efficient but have their own disadvantage due to the limitations of using a fiber optic cable.

AI drones: Artificial Intelligence has also started its advance in military drones. The onboard neural networks of the latest drones can determine the threat from the enemy and act on it, either by sending a signal to a home base or by taking initiative and eliminating the threat themselves. These new drones are just one step away from a "Terminator drone." But it is the future that is coming upon us. This new type of drone is still under development, but the first prototypes are already being tested in Ukraine.

Perhaps it seems wise not to buy thousands of (old) drones. But military training and NATO maneuvers where tanks still drive around and infantry still trains with techniques from the nineties are no longer credible without large-scale use of drones. Large amounts of drone training would make the training more realistic and encourage the development of anti-drone systems.

155mm cannons

Same problem with 155mm cannons and shells. Belgium has purchased 24 modern but expensive CAESAr cannons and will be able to produce its own ammunition. But what can Belgium do with 24 cannons? The CAESAr cannons perform excellently in Ukraine, but there are too few of them to make a difference. Moreover, these expensive cannons wear out very quickly due to intensive use. Recent findings also point to the technical problems of high-tech material such as the CAESAr. If the engine fails, the generator also fails, as does all control of the high-tech cannon, rendering the CAESAr cannon unusable.

SCAR-L caliber 5.56x45mm NATO assault rifle

Same problem with the modern and expensive 5.56 SCAR rifle from FN-Herstal. Most NATO countries opt for an M16 / M4 carbine, most parts of which are interchangeable, and which is three times cheaper than the SCAR assault rifle. Add to that the problems of interchangeability of the 5.56 magazines, where most modern plastic magazines do not work in the SCAR-L (technical problems can be solved). In Ukraine, the M15 carbine, the semi-automatic version of the M16, is the basic rifle of the resistance against the Russians. The M15 (sporting) rifle is available for civilian sport shooting and forms an excellent modular basis for turning it into a weapon of war.

There is a new upgrade to the FN SCAR rifles that was done according to shooter feedback, making this new FN SCAR 16S a significant improvement over the old model. The target price for a new SCAR 16S is around 3275 Euro.

FiveSeven pistol caliber 5.7x28mm

Same problem with the modern and expensive FiveSeven pistol in 5.7x28mm caliber. The pistol costs twice as much as a standard Glock pistol in 9x19mm caliber, which is used in many NATO countries. The ammunition is also 2 to 3 times more expensive than that in 9x19mm caliber. Add to that the fact that not everyone is impressed by the performance of the 5.7x28mm SS190 military cartridge. Worse, the Russians have found a simple and inexpensive way to stop the 5.7x28mm pistol bullets with an ordinary 5mm thick steel plate in their military equipment.

On the positive side, FN America is bringing a cheaper 9x19mm pistol to market that can compete with the cheaper Glock pistols. The FN 309 MRD pistol with a target price around 475 Euro, is an optics-ready pistol in NATO caliber 9x19mm with a magazine capacity of 16 rounds. It is a modern pistol without much frills, but calculated as a personal defense weapon.

Relationship between high budget high-tech and low budget low-tech.

The phenomenon of high-budget high-tech offering a temporary power advantage over the enemy, but becoming exhausted over time and not being replaced quickly enough. The high financial investments become impossible when budgets are depleted. Low-tech low-budget allows for the acquisition of much material, and supplies can also be replenished during military conflicts.

Defense-mindedness and pacifism

The cause of the state of underarmament was portrayed as if we were sleeping and not attentive to the military buildup of other nations, while in reality a repressive anti-weapon policy was imposed by a small group of people. This anti-weapon pacifism has not disappeared and can easily regain the upper hand in government decisions, leading to rapid cutbacks in defense investments.

Being defense-minded with more military personnel or conscription, and better gun laws with smoother development to production of military equipment, could provide a larger and more stable support base for defense.

Body armor among the enemy

The widespread use of body armor, from simple soft steel plates to modern Class 4 bulletproof vests, raises questions about NATO's firearms policy. (New developments are underway)

XM7 6.8x51mm assault rifle

Criticism of the 5.56x45mm NATO cartridge is mounting, especially as both the Russian and Chinese armies are adding Class 4 bulletproof vests to their standard infantry equipment.

The 5.56x45mm NATO cartridge cannot penetrate Class 4 bulletproof vests.

The US Army has introduced the XM7 6.8x51mm assault rifle for this reason and wants NATO to also select a more efficient caliber than the current 5.56x45mm NATO caliber; however, the XM7 assault rifle has several significant disadvantages.

Powerful recoil not suitable for younger soldiers
Quite high weight and very large dimensions unsuitable for general use.
Limited magazine capacity of up to 20 rounds, insufficient in an intense firefight.
A number of technical problems with both the weapon and the ammunition.

Technical problems can be solved, but a number of usability issues inherent in the system will remain. The only revolutionary aspect of this system is the further increase in chamber pressure to 80,000 PSI or 5515 Bar.

Currently, new types of casings capable of withstanding higher chamber pressures are appearing in various places.

Russian 9x19mm ammunition with high chamber pressure

While NATO followed the CRISAT program (Collaborative Research Into Small Arms Technology) with tiny calibers 4.6mm and 5.7mm to replace the standard 9mm NATO cartridge, developments were made in Russia to increase the performance of the 9x19mm caliber.

For Russian military pistols, various types of Russian steel-core ammunition were developed in the 9x19mm caliber. The best known are the 7N21 and 7N30 cartridges, both of which have an increased chamber pressure approaching a 9x19mm+P+ load, which is significantly higher than the chamber pressure of the standard 9x19mm NATO cartridge. The Russian 9x19mm cartridge with its higher chamber pressure has a higher stopping power and higher penetration power than the 5.7x28mm cartridge, and also a higher penetration power than the 9x19mm AP cartridge at normal CIP chamber pressure. As far as Russia is concerned, they are considering whether to stick with the 9x19mm caliber or switch to the more powerful 9x21mm caliber.

Invest in 5.7x28mm or 9x19mm caliber?

To claim that there is no 9x19mm AP armor-piercing ammunition in Europe is complete nonsense. There are various types of 9x19mm steel-core ammunition available in military trade.

There is a reason why so many NATO countries stick to the 9x19mm caliber!

The Flemish 5.7x9x19mm project of 2005 was a response to the Russian 7n21 cartridge but with a longer penetrator. With a standard chamber pressure of 2350 bar (34,084 psi), its penetration power on a steel plate was comparable to that of the 5.7x28mm cartridge (3450 bar / 50,038 psi).

Should the chamber pressure of the 9x19mm NATO cartridge be increased?

Ammunition is not available and not for sale.

There are already several 9x19mm cartridges with a +P+(++) increased load that are only intended for military use. During military tests of the Beretta 92F, 9x19mm cartridges with chamber pressures up to 50,000 psi were used. Military ammunition is not limited to CIP registered chamber pressures. The use of seized Russian military 9x19mm ammunition with high chamber pressure can also cause damage to weak 9x19mm pistols.

If, following the Russian 7N30 cartridge in 9x19mm caliber, a larger steel core and a heavier bullet weight are desired, then the chamber pressure must be increased to deliver any impressive performance.

Following the new 6.8x51mm cartridge, a 6.8x9x19mm cartridge can also be developed, with significantly increased chamber pressure.

Should NATO also redevelop the ancient 9x19mm caliber?

If the Russians further increase the chamber pressure of their 9x19mm cartridges, they could cause any NATO pistol to explode if used in 9mm NATO pistols! The barrels of Russian 9x19mm pistols for export are already specially provided with a weak point, so they cannot withstand high chamber pressures from military ammunition! (Russian Kill Switch)

Should Belgium continue to invest in the 5.7x28mm caliber?

The performance of the 5.7x28mm cartridge is not appreciated by every NATO member. The main NATO countries, America, the United Kingdom, France, the Netherlands, and Germany, prefer the 9x19mm caliber.
Ammunition in the 5.7x28mm caliber is produced on only a few production lines, meaning not enough ammunition can ever be made to meet NATO's needs.
If Belgium does not have enough 5.7x28mm ammunition, where should it buy more, given that not much is available on the international market? 9x19mm caliber ammunition is available worldwide.
Given that 5.7x28mm ammunition is virtually banned for civilian use in almost every NATO country, there are only military orders for this caliber, making the cost quite high and twice that of 9x19mm ammunition.
The Russians have found a simple and inexpensive way to stop 5.7x28mm bullets with a common 5mm thick steel plate in their equipment.
If NATO were to go for uniformity, the 5.7x28mm cartridge would lose out to the powerful 9x19mm AP cartridges.

In principle, the performance of the 5.7x28mm caliber can still be increased so that military bullets achieve higher penetration power. New ammunition can also meet the FBI test protocol with a penetration power in ballistic gelatin of 14 to 16 inches; however, the problems with the limited availability of weapons and ammunition in the 5.7x28mm caliber will persist.

The production lines for the 5.7x8mm caliber could be better utilized to produce a new replacement for the 5.56x45mm rifle cartridge!

New Belgian military uniform

The new Belgian military uniform with accompanying plate carrier is also among the best of its kind. It is a collaboration between Belgian companies Sioen, Seyntex, and the American Crye Precision™. The clothing is made of several layers of high-tech fabric, each with a special property. The new military clothing is experienced as very comfortable and is manufactured in Belgium, but is not available to ordinary citizens. The American brand Crye Precision is known for excellent material with a corresponding price.

Made in Europe - Kill Switch extra large

If one were to push the kill switch hysteria further to all American products, the question arises: what happens if American Crye Precision cancels the use of patent rights for the designs and the Multicam camouflage pattern for Sioen and Seyntex?

The old Belgian Woodland camouflage can continue to be used.

Combat shirt with cut and fragment resistant sleeves in Woodland camouflage

The Belgian M1999 jigsaw camouflage is not protected by a patent and was mainly used in the production of military clothing by the Belgian Seyntex, where it was named Woodland. This camouflage is still widely used worldwide, especially in cheaper military clothing, precisely because no patent fees have to be paid for its use. Belgian Woodland camouflage equipment

If the brightly coloured old Belgian M1999 jigsaw camouflage is too bright for urban use, there are also variants with less bright colours that are comparable to the American Multicam camouflage and are not dependent on an American patent.

There is a new German Phantomleaf camouflage that is a European product.

Phantomleaf WASP Z3A plate carrier Gen.II forest camouflage

Phantomleaf WASP Z3A forest camouflage army T-shirt men hunters military survival