Belgium's military union ACMP-CGPM has welcomed Defence Minister Theo Francken's (N-VA) proposal to create a new mobile security unit combining police and military personnel.
The union said on Monday that it had proposed a similar idea two years ago and was willing to help develop the plan.
Francken described the proposal on Sunday as a "gendarmerie 2.0" operating under the authority of the Interior Ministry.
Speaking to RTL-TVI, he said the Defence and Interior ministries were discussing ways to strengthen cooperation between the police and the army.
"This will not be a miracle solution," Francken said on De Ochtend on Monday. "But it sends a clear signal to our security forces that reinforcements are coming."
Under the proposal, officers would receive military training before being deployed under the authority of the Interior Ministry.
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The military union first raised the idea in its magazine De Schildwacht in 2024. At the time, it argued that Belgium's security challenges were growing faster than the resources and powers available to existing services.
The union called for a paramilitary organisation capable of carrying out investigations and operations against both physical and digital threats.
It said such a force should work closely with the army, intelligence services, the justice system and existing police forces.
On Monday, ACMP-CGPM said Belgium's former gendarmerie could serve as inspiration for the new organisation, but warned against simply recreating the old force.
"The security situation has changed dramatically. Organised drug crime, serious violence, terrorism, sabotage and hybrid threats require an integrated approach in which different government services reinforce each other," the union said.
It added that any new security force would need a clearly defined set of responsibilities.
