Theo Francken on Terzake: ‘I’m incredibly proud of all the young people choosing a career in Defence’

Geopolitical tensions are rising, hybrid threats are moving closer to home and transatlantic relations are under pressure. Speaking on Terzake, Defence Minister Theo Francken pulls no punches as he discusses the precarious situation in Ukraine, the need to spend at least 3.5% — and potentially as much as 5% — of GDP The gross domestic product (GDP) is the total monetary value of all goods and services produced within a country, both by companies and the government. This term is usually used as a benchmark for a country’s prosperity. This is why the N-VA closely follows the evolution of the Belgian GDP. GDP on defence, and his immense pride in the renewed appeal of the armed forces among young people.

Growing hybrid threat

To the average person in Flanders, the war in Ukraine can sometimes feel a world away. But Theo Francken warns that its consequences are already being felt here through hybrid warfare. He points, among other things, to incidents involving NATO transport operations in Leipzig: “There was an attempt to use a drone to bring down an Antonov (cargo aircraft, ed.) carrying out NATO transport operations to Ukraine, at an airport that was operational at the time. That’s taking things very far indeed.”

A transatlantic ‘marriage crisis’

Meanwhile, relations with the United States have entered turbulent waters. Theo Francken describes the situation as a “transatlantic marriage crisis”. Even so, he advocates diplomatic caution and warns against unnecessary escalation: “We have major interests at stake in NATO. Hundreds of thousands of jobs depend on it, with NATO headquarters here (in Brussels, ed.) and SHAPE, its military headquarters, in Mons. Recklessly blowing up our relationship with the United States would be incredibly foolish. It wouldn’t serve our interests at all.”

At the same time, he understands US frustration over Europe’s defence efforts. According to Theo Francken, becoming a reliable NATO ally will require substantially greater investment. “The 2% target we have to meet is the absolute minimum. We should actually be spending 3.5% or even 5% of our GDP on defence. The situation in the world is deeply concerning, and we need to rebuild our armed forces.”

New alliances with Japan and India

To strengthen Belgium’s position in a changing world order, Theo Francken is looking to Asia. He announces a historic step in bilateral relations with Japan: “For the first time ever, we’re going to post a military attaché in Tokyo.”

Japan shares our Western values and is actively seeking closer ties with Europe. “We’re going to step up our cooperation even further, both industrially and militarily, but also in areas such as the economy and critical minerals.”

The minister will also travel to India with the Prime Minister to finalise major defence contracts, which will directly create jobs at home: “People need to see that the money going into defence also creates jobs.”

‘Defence is cool again’

Despite the major geopolitical challenges, Theo Francken sees plenty of reason for optimism in the resurgence of interest in Defence at home. The minister is delighted by the armed forces’ growing popularity among young people: “I’m incredibly proud of all the young people choosing Defence today. Who would ever have thought we’d successfully bring back the military service year? Defence is cool again. It teaches discipline, loyalty, respect and respect for authority.”

Finally, Theo Francken stresses that Defence also has a role to play at home under the banner of “assistance to the nation”. He points to security operations targeting drug dealers at Clemenceau metro station, as well as the support provided in fighting forest fires. “Next Friday, together with Ministers Bernard Quintin and Jean-Luc Crucke, I’ll be presenting a military action plan to really get to work on this and further strengthen our cooperation,” the minister concludes.