The Belgian Defence Ministry has been instructed not to publish images where operational soldiers are recognisable, following a directive from Defence Minister Theo Francken.
Francken, a member of the New Flemish Alliance (N-VA), emphasised the importance of discretion, stating, “There’s no need to unnecessarily display military personnel,” during a parliamentary committee meeting on Wednesday.
The directive, which was initially issued shortly after Francken’s appointment, has only recently come to light. It followed a question from fellow N-VA member Koen Metsu about the decision for soldiers to wear neck gaiters during the national day parade to enhance anonymity and security, particularly with the rise of artificial intelligence and advanced video technology.
Francken was reportedly concerned that his predecessor, Ludivine Dedonder of the Socialist Party (PS), was photographed with soldiers and shared those images on social media. “I have given the order to stop this practice,” he said. He anticipates similar measures will become universal within the next five years. He further illustrated his point with recent photos from Kosovo, where soldiers from the Netherlands and Luxembourg were identifiable, but Belgian soldiers were blurred.
