17-year-olds invited to take part in military service

Almost 150,000 Belgians aged 17 have received letters from the defence ministry giving them the opportunity to join a one-year voluntary military service programme from January 2026.

Signed by defence minister Theo Francken, the missive formalises the decision approved in September 2024 by the relevant parliamentary committee.

In the letter, the ministry invites young people to find out more about the programme, which is designed to develop their discipline, team spirit and a sense of responsibility, before they continue their studies or enter the job market.

On X (formerly Twitter), Francken said: “149,000 letters were sent out by post. All 17-year-olds in the country are encouraged to join the army in general and to do a year of voluntary military service in particular. Let’s go!”

Information sessions will be organised in each province, as well as online. Registration will open in January 2026 for 18 to 25-year-olds.

In September 2024, the defence ministry said it expected about 3,500 applications for the first intake, of which 500 candidates will be selected to begin training in September next year.

These volunteers will receive a net salary of about €2,000 per month and be assigned to surveillance or support tasks in the land, air or naval forces.

The number of places is set to increase gradually - from 1,000 in 2027 to 7,000 in the long term.

However, RTBF reports, several opposition parties have criticised the measure. They argue that this awareness campaign aimed at the youth blurs the line between volunteering and conscription.

In fact, before being approved, the project was deemed illegal by the Council of State because of the request to access population register data to contact young people.

Civil society organisations, such as Youth Forum and the Service Citoyen platform, are calling for young people’s commitment not to be reduced to a military path and say that volunteering in the community remains a complementary alternative.

They add that “the promise of a high salary is likely to exploit the precarious situation of young people and make militaristic discourse socially acceptable to a generation in search of meaning and socio-economic stability”.

The money is particularly appealing given that remuneration for other voluntary programmes is minimal – currently €10 per day for Service Citoyen, about 10 times less than the proposed salary for military service.

In response, the associations have also created a “Service for Peace” discussion platform, which aims to develop tools to broaden opposition to this “voluntary military service”. Service for Peace is a global independent non-profit organisation providing service and learning opportunities through community projects.

The goal is to remind people that “human security is built first and foremost through social justice, education, cooperation and peace”.

Members include the youth sections of Belgium’s largest ACV-CSC and FGTB-ABVV trade unions, and those of Belgium’s Workers’ Party (PTB), Ecolo and Groen, as well as Guiding and Scouting in Belgium (GSB).