All 17-year-olds in Belgium are receiving letters inviting them to apply for a voluntary military service, beginning today.
Defence Minister Theo Francken announced that nearly 149,000 letters are being sent out. "Starting today, they're arriving. Let’s go!" said the Minister on X.
The initiative aims to recruit around 500 young people for training that will begin in September next year at various locations nationwide. A total of 90,800 letters were sent in Dutch, 56,900 in French, and 925 in German.
90.800 NL brieven, 56.900 FR brieven en 925 DUI brieven. In totaal bijna 149.000 brieven.
Vanaf vandaag komen ze toe. Let’s go! #MilitairDienstjaar pic.twitter.com/QsryYLnjKc — Theo Francken (@FranckenTheo) November 12, 2025
The letters highlight the opportunities of voluntary participation in the year of military service offered by Belgium’s defence department, citing the age of 18 as an important milestone for making decisions about the future.
They invite recipients to register for an information session where they will learn more about the programme. Attending the session is compulsory before they can enrol in the military training itself.
Applications are set to open in January 2026, with the top candidates selected over the summer.
Successful applicants would then be expected to start in September, earning a net monthly salary of around €2,000, according to the previously leaked letters.
