The Ministry of Defense will open a record number of positions next year – more than 4,200 for military and civilians – to compensate for the thousands of retirements of personnel at the end of their careers expected over the next few years, he announced on Monday.
Defense is seeking to attract 2,500 soldiers in 2023 (a number equivalent to this year), with 1,250 planned recruitments of soldiers and sailors, 950 non-commissioned officers and 300 officers, with very different profiles, indicated one of the responsible for this vast recruitment campaign, Major Margot Van Waeyenberghe. Defense is also seeking to recruit 760 civilians (a hundred more than in 2022) and will also open 950 positions for reserve soldiers, under different statuses, she added during a press conference at the Major district. Housiau in Peutie (Vilvoorde). These are – except for the military – record numbers compared to previous years. “La Défense needs new talents”underlined the Minister of Defense, Ludivine Dedonder (PS) to the press, assuring that recruitment within her department “running at full speed”.
She also welcomed the growing number of applicants for a function within the Defense with, for example, 18% more soldiers and sailors candidates, as well as the growing number of women – they now number 2,463, ie 10.3% of the department’s workforce, a proportion that has never been so high. In the army, all the jobs offered are accessible to women, recalled Major Van Waeyenberghe, whose function is “job marketing manager”.
In detail, the army wishes to incorporate next year for its four components 1,250 soldiers and sailors (740 Dutch-speaking and 510 French-speaking), 950 non-commissioned officers (529 Dutch-speaking, 411 French-speaking and ten without linguistic preference) and 330 officers (169 N, 123 F and eight either French or Dutch). In 2022, Defense was looking for 3,970 people (2,500 soldiers, 560 civilians and 910 reservists). And the recruitment report – which will continue until December for volunteers – is “positive”, assured Ms. Dedonder, explaining that the fact of having more applications (nearly 6,400 to date) than places made it possible to select the best. Even if for volunteers it is no longer necessary to have any diploma. But a system of social promotion makes it possible to “go up in category” for the most deserving. The army needs “young and motivated soldiers” both for combat functions (infantry, para-commandos …), underlined the major. But it also offers a wide range of technical functions – to implement increasingly complex weapon systems – and logistics. Here too, young people without a technical diploma but who are interested in technology can apply for a technical position, or even benefit from a salary and training paid for by Defense in a school of their choice in order to obtain a diploma. bachelor’s degree, subject to a “performance period” (an obligation to remain in the army) of four and a half years. A large part of the new recruits will be incorporated under the BDL status (Beperkte Duur, Limited Duration or “short term”) which provides for an eight-year career that can be extended to a maximum of twelve, but with the possibility of a gateway to career status. . This will be the case for all soldiers and sailors, 817 of the 950 non-commissioned officers and 77 of the 300 officers.
Most officers (152) are recruited through the Royal Military School (ERM), which provides university training. But the army also carries out specialized recruitment via the auxiliary staff (eleven pilots and five air traffic controllers) with a contract for an initial period of 13 years, and “specialists” recruited on the basis of a specific master’s degree ( doctors, computer scientists, lawyers, journalists, etc.). A “lateral recruitment” is aimed at doctors and dentists who already have professional experience.
Of the 950 reservist functions offered, 260 are offered by the “classic recruitment” (including 84 officers), 40 are aimed at students with the possibility of undergoing military training during the summer holidays and 180 through “voluntary remunerated management services” (PVE) of long duration, which amounts to a full-time job.
As for the 760 new civilian employees sought, they are divided into 450 statutory positions (levels A, B and C), ten contractual positions and 300 under the Rosetta plan, intended for young people under 26 with no prior experience required). All the information – and in particular the registration dates – can be found on the mil.be website.
