“A strong Europe will also strengthen NATO”

Belgium’s STAR plan: €11 billion of additional investment in Belgian defence

So, what are the defence priorities of the Belgian Presidency of the Council of the EU?

Strengthening European defence has been one of my priorities. I am convinced that better interoperability and better cooperation with industry are crucial for the strategic autonomy of Europe and the EU.

On an industrial level, this means major research, development and production projects where Member States pool their expertise to achieve results together, but also joint purchases to achieve economies of scale and thus strengthen interoperability between our armies.

Within the EU, we have excellent industrial players who are world leaders in their fields. It is therefore particularly important to work together to maintain and increase this lead in order to continue to build and strengthen European defence. This is also reflected in the priorities of the Belgian Presidency of the EU.

As a country located in the centre of Europe with several well-developed seaports, Belgium is an important transit country.

Military mobility is therefore an important aspect. Investment in military mobility can also be seen as investment in dual capabilities, another priority.

For me, defence must be an integral part of society and therefore have resources that can be used both for military purposes during operations, but also for the benefit of the civilian population in a crisis.

Our cyber capabilities, which we will also be focusing on during the presidency, are a case in point. Research into dual capabilities is also important and will certainly be addressed. Indeed, a well-developed defence and security industry is essential to the strategic autonomy of Belgium and the EU.

We will also be demonstrating our willingness and conviction to pursue the operationalisation of the Rapid Deployment Capacity (RDC), which can be deployed in crisis situations to bring EU nationals to safety, for example. The evacuation of Afghanistan made us realise that the European Union should equip itself with a rapidly deployable force. As Belgium, we fully support this project.

Could you say more about helping to set up the European Union Rapid Deployment Capacity? Will Belgium provide troops?

As I mentioned, the Strategic Compass provides for a Rapid Deployment capacity for the EU in the event of a crisis. As Belgium, we will certainly contribute to this, in particular through the major real-life exercise that we are organising during the Presidency in close collaboration with Spain, the Netherlands and France, among others. Through this exercise, we will contribute to the preparation and training of our troops in an international framework, which will strengthen interoperability. Our country will provide troops for this EU capacity, which can be rapidly deployed in the event of a crisis.

Belgium has always been a firm believer in European defence. But until 2014, Belgium sharply reduced investment in its armed forces. Are you now seeing an increase in spending?

There has indeed been a resumption of investment. With Belgium’s STAR plan – Security & Service, Technology, Ambition, Resilience – approved before the Russian invasion of Ukraine, I have put on the table a coherent and solid growth trajectory. This plan provides for no less than €11 billion of additional investment in Belgian defence. A growth trajectory in terms of personnel, budget, equipment and resources, with a particular focus on personnel.

This is the first time that such a balanced plan has been drawn up and approved for defence, with a defined budget trajectory.

When I took office, I found a ministry that had been making savings for years; I drew a clear line: Belgian defence will grow again in terms of personnel and will get the resources it needs to do so. When I took office, the budget was €3.2 billion for 2020. Today, it is €5 billion for 2023. And the budget will also increase in the coming years, in a balanced way and in line with the STAR plan, which aims to invest more and better.

At the European level, budgets are increasing. What does ‘spending better’ mean to you?

Generally speaking, many EU countries have lived too long on the peace dividend, which means that many armed forces are now facing major challenges in terms of personnel and modernising their capabilities. Belgium is not alone in this and, as I said, the STAR plan is a balanced and coherent response to this.

At the European level, we must ensure that we invest in our armed forces in a complementary way. No country should blindly invest in every possible capability on its own small island. By consulting each other effectively, identifying capability gaps and agreeing who invests in what, we can emerge stronger as the EU as a whole. This cooperation and complementary approach should become the strength of European defence: a strong interoperable defence that can provide even better security for the people of the EU and our partners.

How can the EU ensure the coherence of defence initiatives, such as national priorities, the Strategic Compass that you mentioned, and collaboration with NATO?

The Strategic Compass and strategic plans go hand in hand. They form a complementary and coherent whole. The strategy for strengthening the EU must be seen as a genuine centrepiece for Europe within NATO, the cornerstone of our defence. At the European level, we must do everything we can to ensure that European defence is stronger, coordinated and based on cooperation and interoperability.

Our fundamental objectives remain the same: to be able to continue to guarantee the security of our citizens and that of our partners. This applies to the national priorities of the Member States as well as to the EU and NATO.

A strong Europe, for example with a rapidly deployable force, is of great strategic importance to the EU, but it will also strengthen NATO. By investing coherently and correctly, in consultation with all partners, on the basis of national priorities, but always within a framework that goes beyond our national borders, we get a strong entity that can achieve its objectives both nationally and internationally.

How has the war in Ukraine been a turning point for Belgium and for European defence of the EU?

Even before Russia invaded Ukraine, the STAR plan that I drew up marked an important turning point.

The conflict in Ukraine – as well as conflicts elsewhere in the world – reinforces my view that we have chosen the right path: coherent and correct investment in capabilities that can be used both militarily and for civilians in the event of a crisis, in cyber security and in high-tech research and development to maintain our lead in the future. For me, the war in Ukraine shows that we will have to keep reviewing our plans in the future too.

That’s why I called for a recurring strategic reflection exercise at the start of each legislature, so that we can adjust our plans and investments on that basis. For both Belgium and the EU, investment in logistics and support resources, cyber security, intelligence and reaction capability, among other things, is necessary now and in the long term. The war in Ukraine confirms that we need to work even more closely together to increase our readiness and deployability in the short term, but always in a considered way and in consultation with our partners.

Do you think that more should be done to help the European defence industry reactivate production?

I am convinced that we must cooperate with our defence and security industry to improve our strategic autonomy. We have reputable companies in this sector within the EU, and they are the backbone of our defences. We should encourage these companies and continue to work with them to strengthen this industrial base within the EU.

Alongside our STAR plan, I have also set up the Belgian Defence, Industry and Research Strategy (DIRS). Thanks to DIRS, Belgian defence plans to invest €1.8 billion between now and 2030 in research and development of new technologies and capabilities, in collaboration with research centres and industry.

By combining the efforts of defence with those of our industrial base, we can strengthen both industry and defence. We share our knowledge and expertise and invest together in research and development to maintain and increase our technological lead.

You mentioned strategic autonomy several times. Why is this so important?

As the EU, we need to think about our strategic autonomy and realise that we need to reduce our dependence on partners outside of our Union. This is precisely why cooperation with industry, for example, is so important.

Strategic autonomy also means that we need to secure our supply lines for raw materials, so that even in times of crisis or conflict, we can be sure that we will get our deliveries when we need them. In military terms, this applies to equipment and munitions, for example, but also to deployability.

Rapidly deployable forces are an important element of our strategic autonomy. In areas such as energy, we must also continue to work on reducing our dependence on external players.

We see, with the war in Ukraine, the impact on energy prices. The EU must also be able to respond, to provide its citizens with affordable energy at all times without depending on other countries. I see that there is a great willingness within the EU to work on this, including with the implementation of the Strategic Compass.

As Belgium’s Minister of Defence, I am doing my utmost to achieve this and I feel that we are on the right track.