Belgium reinvests its barracks to boost recruitment

(B2) Are the days of closing barracks over? In the flat country at least, it is believed that having barracks not far from where soldiers live is good for morale... and therefore for recruitment.

Grappling " for years with a recruitment problem ", specifically " in the three westernmost provinces of Belgium “, as she admits herself, the belgian defense decided to take the bull by the horns and reinvest its barracks.

One of the identified reasons for this failure is indeed “ lack of barracks ". " Attractiveness for people residing in these provinces is “ low “, because it involves long distances of travel, we measure on the side of the Ministry of Defense.

Three provinces concerned

Minister Philippe Goffin (who is in charge of the two departments of Defense and Foreign Affairs) therefore formally approved, on Wednesday (September 23) afternoon, the use and/or redevelopment of barracks in Tournai (Hainaut), Lombardsijde - Middelkerke (West Flanders near the French border) and Gavere (East Flanders). Soldiers from other places should take up residence next year in the refurbished barracks. Repositionings made from “ voluntary way we swear to the cabinet.

Combat companies detached in 2021

Concretely, according to my colleague from Belga, Gérard Gaudin (always well informed), this means that a company (about a hundred men each time) of three combat battalions - the 1st/3rd Lancers of Marche-en-Famenne , the Carabinieri prince Léopold-Grenadiers (1C/1Gr) from Bourg-Léopold (Limbourg) and the 3rd parachute battalion from Tielen, in the province of Antwerp - will take up quarters respectively in Tournai, Lombardsijde and Gavere-Semmerzake.

(NGV)