Belgium Set to Remove Military Age Cap for Reserve Military Service
Peter Buysrogge, a member of parliament representing the New Flemish Alliance (N-VA) who leads the parliamentary Defense Committee, has tabled legislation that would scrap the existing 34-year ceiling for standard reservists, media reported Wednesday.
The proposal would similarly abolish the 50-year age threshold currently imposed on reserve officers.
"Many people interested in becoming a reservist are reaching a limit. This means we're missing out on a lot of people," Buysrogge said.
Belgium's reserve forces operate on a volunteer framework, enabling citizens to contribute military service while maintaining civilian employment rather than transitioning to full-time military careers.
The parliamentary committee chair emphasized that the structure enables defense officials to access niche competencies and industry-specific knowledge as operational demands require.
"We primarily look at your professional knowledge and specific skills. We can use all sorts of people in the Ministry of Defence, from people with IT skills to truck drivers," Buysrogge said.
Belgium's Defense Ministry has established an annual recruitment objective of no fewer than 1,000 reservists and anticipates the elimination of age barriers will prove instrumental in reaching that benchmark.
Ministry representatives indicate robust interest spans multiple demographics, including diverse age brackets and gender categories.
The legislative changes would leave unchanged the age requirements governing career military personnel, which vary according to assigned roles and responsibilities within the armed forces.
This recruitment initiative arrives amid Belgium's dramatic defense budget escalation.
The administration headed by Prime Minister Bart De Wever, with Theo Francken serving as defense minister, has committed to elevating defense expenditure to satisfy NATO's benchmark of 2% of gross domestic product.
Government officials have unveiled a strategy to allocate approximately €17 billion ($20 billion) in supplementary defense financing over the forthcoming period.
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