Fight against terror remains priority for the Ministry of Defence in 2019

“The fight against terror and radicalisation is and remains the number one priority in 2019.” Minister of Defence Sander Loones has published the list of the most important operations of next year. Alongside the fight against terror, Minister Loones also wants to act as a loyal partner within Europe, NATO and the United Nations.

Terror and radicalisation

In the Middle East, the Ministry of Defence will continue to participate in the military campaign against Islamic State. In Iraq, the centre of gravity is however increasingly shifting towards reconstruction and the stabilisation of the country, with the Belgian contribution being targeted to the professionalisation and training of the Iraqi security services. Also in Afghanistan, Tunisia, Mali and Niger, the Ministry of Defence will provide a contribution. In our own country, the military will continue to support the police in its security assignments as from threat level three.

Standby for UN, EU and NATO

In Europe, the Ministry of Defence is taking part in the NATO plans for an increased presence in the Baltic countries as a response to the Russian attitude in the Ukrainian crisis. In addition, Belgium is keeping military capacity ready for the European Union, the United Nations and once again NATO. For the EU it concerns approximately 250 troops who are maintaining themselves in a state of readiness to participate in the European Union Battle Group under French leadership.