{
    "title": "Belgian army recruitment hits five-year high",
    "modified_at": "2026-05-13 10:27:24",
    "published_at": "2026-05-13 10:27:00",
    "url": "https://www.belganewsagency.eu/belgian-army-recruitment-hits-five-year-high",
    "short_url": "http://prez.ly/RDGd",
    "culture": "en_BE",
    "language": "EN",
    "slug": "belgian-army-recruitment-hits-five-year-high",
    "body": "<p style=\"text-align: left\"><strong>Belgium recruited nearly 3,000 new professional soldiers in 2025, the highest number in five years, according to figures requested by MP Axel Weydts from Defence minister Theo Francken.</strong></p><p style=\"text-align: left\">The Belgian armed forces recruited 2,993 professional military staff last year, up from 2,789 in 2021. The biggest increases were among officers and non-commissioned officers.</p><p style=\"text-align: left\">Recruitment of officers rose from 352 to 509 over the same period, while the number of non-commissioned officers increased from 1,017 to 1,181. The number of volunteers fell slightly.</p><p style=\"text-align: left\">The army also recruited 800 reservists in 2025, around double the figure recorded four years ago. Reservists combine civilian jobs or studies with part-time military service.</p><p style=\"text-align: left\">More women are also joining the armed forces, especially in higher-ranking positions. The number of female officers recruited increased by nearly 58 per cent since 2021.</p><div id=\"bookmark-4f955982-2707-4f5a-be52-91f60c036c73\"\n     class=\"release-content-bookmark release-content-bookmark--horizontal\">\n\n            <a class=\"release-content-bookmark__thumbnail\"\n           href=\"http://prez.ly/sIud\"\n           rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"\n           target=\"_blank\"           style=\"background-image: url(https://prezly.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.uc.assets.prezly.com%2Fed289445-c680-4fc0-ac3b-94afab33f41c%2F-%2Fpreview%2F600x600%2F?ar=1%3A1&amp;fit=crop&amp;s=08d78580988a9f5e97704516b51a5525)\"\n        ></a>\n    \n    <div class=\"release-content-bookmark__details\">\n\n                    <a class=\"release-content-bookmark__title\"\n               href=\"http://prez.ly/sIud\"\n               rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"\n               target=\"_blank\"               data-type=\"bookmark\"\n               data-track=\"Story WebBookmark Click\"\n               data-placement=\"content\"\n               data-id=\"4f955982-2707-4f5a-be52-91f60c036c73\"\n           >\n                Defence to double workforce and launch voluntary service year            </a>\n        \n                    <div class=\"release-content-bookmark__description\">\n                Belgium\u2019s ministry of Defence has announced ambitious plans to double its personnel by 2035, alongside the introduction of a new voluntary...            </div>\n        \n        <a href=\"https://www.belganewsagency.eu/\"\n           target=\"_blank\"\n           rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"\n           class=\"release-content-bookmark__provider\"\n        >\n            <img class=\"release-content-bookmark__provider-icon\" src=\"https://avatars.prezly.com/favicon?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.belganewsagency.eu%2Fdefence-to-double-workforce-and-launch-voluntary-service-year&newsroom=6b71e247-a9ba-4732-aaa3-88be14c119db\" aria-hidden=\"true\" />\n            belganewsagency.eu        </a>\n    </div>\n</div>\n<p style=\"text-align: left\">Officials say growing international tensions and increased defence spending have made military careers more attractive. Weydts, himself a former army officer, said the figures show that &ldquo;many committed Belgians see their future in Defence&rdquo;.</p><p style=\"text-align: left\">He also stressed that the military is recruiting for a wide range of jobs beyond combat roles, including engineers and IT specialists.</p><p style=\"text-align: left\">&nbsp;</p><p style=\"text-align: left\"><sup>&copy; BELGA PHOTO ERIC LALMAND</sup></p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>&nbsp;</p>",
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    "links": [
        {
            "description": "Defence to double workforce and launch voluntary service year",
            "url": "http://prez.ly/sIud"
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    "author": {
        "first_name": "Flanders",
        "last_name": "News Service"
    },
    "format_version": 5
}