Belgian Armed Forces: Land Component, Naval Component, Air Component, Medical Service (2021)
Royal Netherlands Army, Royal Netherlands Navy (includes Naval Air Service and Marine Corps), Royal Netherlands Air Force, Royal Netherlands Marechaussee (Military Constabulary) (2021)
note: the Netherlands Coast Guard and the Dutch Caribbean Coast Guard are civilian in nature, but managed by the Royal Netherlands Navy
Military service age and obligation
18 years of age for male and female voluntary military service; conscription abolished in 1995 (2019)
17 years of age for an all-volunteer force; conscription abolished in 1996 (2019)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP
1.07% of GDP (2020 est.)
0.89% of GDP (2019)
0.89% of GDP (2018)
0.88% of GDP (2017)
0.89% of GDP (2016)
1.49% of GDP (2020 est.)
1.35% of GDP (2019)
1.22% of GDP (2018)
1.15% of GDP (2017)
1.16% of GDP (2016)
Military - note
Belgium is a member of NATO and was one of the original 12 countries to sign the North Atlantic Treaty (also known as the Washington Treaty) in 1949
in 2018, the Defense Ministers of Belgium, Denmark and the Netherlands signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) for the creation of a Composite Special Operations Component Command (C-SOCC); the C-SOCC was declared operational in December 2020
the Netherlands is a member of NATO and was one of the original 12 countries to sign the North Atlantic Treaty (also known as the Washington Treaty) in 1949
in 2018, the Defense Ministers of Belgium, Denmark and the Netherlands signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) for the creation of a Composite Special Operations Component Command (C-SOCC); the C-SOCC was declared operational in December 2020
Military and security service personnel strengths
the Belgian Armed Forces have approximately 26,000 active duty personnel (11,000 Land Component; 1,500 Navy; 5,000 Air Force; 1,500 Medical Service; 7,000 other, including joint staff, support, and training schools) (2020)
the Royal Netherlands Armed Forces have approximately 35,000 active duty personnel (15,000 Army; 7,500 Navy; 6,500 Air Force; 6,000 Constabulary) (2020)
Military equipment inventories and acquisitions
the Belgian Armed Forces have a mix of weapons systems from European countries, Israel, and the US; since 2010, France, Germany, and Switzerland are the leading suppliers of armaments; Belgium has an export-focused defense industry that focuses on components and subcontracting (2020)
the inventory of the Netherlands Armed Forces consists of a mix of domestically-produced and modern European- and US-sourced equipment; since 2010, the US is the leading supplier of weapons systems to the Netherlands, followed by several European countries; the Netherlands has an advanced domestic defense industry that focuses on armored vehicles, naval ships, and air defense systems; it also participates with the US and other European countries on joint development and production of advanced weapons systems (2020)
Military deployments
125 France (contributing member of EuroCorps); 100 Mali (EUTM/MINUSMA); est. 260 Baltic States (NATO) (2020)
