Belgian Armed Forces

Belgian Armed Forces La Défense belge/ Belgische Defensie Belgische Streitkräfte
Emblem of the Belgian Armed Forces
Founded	1830
Service branches	Land Component  Air Component  Marine Component Medical Component
Leadership
Commander-in-Chief	King Philippe
Minister of Defence	Steven Vandeput (N-VA)
Chief of Defence	General Gerard Van Caelenberge
Manpower
Military age	18 years of age (2005)
Active personnel	25,053
Reserve personnel	1,673
Expenditures
Budget	€ 3.0 Billion (FY09)
Percent of GDP	1.2% (FY09)
Related articles
Ranks	Belgian military ranks

The Belgian Armed Forces (Dutch: Defensie; French: La Défense) is the national military of Belgium. The Belgian Armed Forces was established after Belgium became independent in October 1830. Since that time Belgian armed forces have fought in World War I, World War II, the Cold War (Korean War and army of occupation of the Federal Republic of Germany), Kosovo, Somalia and Afghanistan. The ParaCommando Brigade intervened several times in Central-Africa, for maintaining public order and evacuation of Belgian citizens. The Armed Forces comprise four branches: the Land Component, the Air Component, the Marine Component and the Medical Component. It is currently active in Lebanon, Afghanistan, the Gulf of Aden and conducting anti-ISIS operations in Iraq.

When Belgium broke away from the Netherlands in 1830–31 it was initially expected that a neutral buffer state, with its borders guaranteed by France, Britain and Prussia, could avoid the need for an expensive permanent military force, relying instead on the part-time militia of the existing Garde Civique (Civil Guard). The need for a regular army was however soon acknowledged. The basis for recruitment was one of selective conscription under which exemptions could be purchased by obtaining substitutes. In practice this meant that only about a quarter of each year's eligible intake actually served, with the burden falling on the poorer classes.

As part of the national policy of even-handed neutrality, the 19th century Belgian Army was deployed as an essentially defensive force in fortifications facing the Dutch, German and French borders. Mobilisation plans simply required reservists to report to their depots, without arrangements being made in advance for deployment in a particular direction or against a particular enemy. Recruitment difficulties caused the army to remain below its intended strength of 20,000 men, although new legislation in 1868 tightened the basis for conscription. The Franco-Prussian War of 1870 required full mobilisation for nearly a year, a process which showed up serious training and structural weaknesses. The presence of Belgian forces in strength along the country's borders did however ensure that the combat at no time spilled over into Belgian territory.