Belgium reestablishes 2 new army brigades, modernizes land forces

BRUSSELS

Belgium on Tuesday officially reestablished the 1st and 7th Brigades of its Land Component, a move described by the Defense Ministry as a "historic moment" in the reform and strengthening of the country's armed forces.

The decision marks the division of the existing Motorized Brigade into two separate formations, in line with Belgium's commitments to NATO and its broader military expansion plans, Flemish-language broadcaster VRT reported.

A brigade is a major combat unit typically composed of 2,000 to 5,000 personnel and includes infantry, artillery, air defense, and support elements.

Until now, Belgium's Land Component operated a single brigade established in 2018 following decades of post-Cold War downsizing.

Belgium's armed forces currently have just over 30,000 personnel across the land, air, naval, medical, and cyber components.

Defense Minister Theo Francken has pledged to increase that figure to 40,000 by 2029.

Under the new structure, the 1st Brigade will be Dutch-speaking and based in Leopoldsburg, while the 7th Brigade will be French-speaking and headquartered in Marche-en-Famenne.

The 1st Brigade traces its lineage to the 1st Infantry Brigade, formed in 1944 from the famous Brigade Piron, which fought alongside Allied forces during the liberation of Belgium in World War II.

The 7th Brigade refers to the former 7th Mechanized Brigade, established in 1948 and disbanded in 2011. The revived unit will include all French-speaking battalions of the Land Component.

Both brigades will be equipped primarily with wheeled armored vehicles, including the French-made Griffon and Jaguar platforms, acquired under the Capacite Motorisee (CaMo) program -- a strategic partnership with France aimed at modernizing Belgium's land forces and enhancing interoperability with the French Army.

Belgium's land forces currently operate no main battle tanks, having phased out the last Leopard 1 tanks in 2014 as part of budget cuts.

Debate continues over whether tanks should return to Belgium's arsenal, particularly in light of lessons from the ongoing war in Ukraine.