Nato advises Belgium to bid farewell to frigates

Belgium should do away with its two frigates, or very large warships, because they are expensive and unnecessary, according to Heinrich Brauss, deputy secretary general of defence at Nato. On Tuesday, Brauss made the recommendation to Belgian defence minister Steven Vandeput to rely less on frigates and more on ‘readiness’, reports De Standaard. Nato and other stakeholders have been offering their advice to the defence minister in recent weeks, as Belgium’s military prepares to undergo a major reorganisation.

Nato is in support of Belgium’s recent F-16 fighter jet replacements, on the other hand, because they “fit into the military alliance’s strategy to use more rapidly deployable forces”.

Nato also took the opportunity to call for increased cooperation between Belgium’s armed forces, the EU and Nato.