“We need more people”: the Belgian army will completely review its entry criteria to expand its recruitment pool

“We need more diversity in profiles”

But to achieve this, it will be necessary to lift a legislative lock: the current law on military status drastically limits the possibilities of recruitment, in particular by fixing the age of entry to 34 years maximum. An aberration, according to the staff: “This law dates from another time. It no longer corresponds at all to current threats or the job market. We need a total overhaul. “

Objective ? Seduce the thirties, the forties, the profiles experienced in retraining, those who want to give new meaning to their professional life. A lever all the more strategic than almost half of young workers plan to change jobs, according to an Acerta study.

Today, the defense is recruiting around 2,800 soldiers per year – barely sufficient to maintain its current workforce by 24,600 soldiers. “”We do miracles with a pool of young people out of studies. But the missions become more complex, and we need more people, and more diversity in profiles “, plead a high ranking.

Faced with this situation, should we review the rules of entry into the army in depth? For the high spheres of the defense, the answer is clear: Yes, and urgently. Because today, if a 40 -year -old person wants to apply to the army, he is often automatically failed. Too old depending on the law, regardless of his career or professional experience. An absurdity, denounce recruitment officials within the defense.

The idea is to adapt the army to the labor market as it is today: more fluid, more mobile, with workers in search of meaning, sometimes tired of their office or a job that has become monotonous.

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“We have to make the army more accessible”

For Admiral Botman, commander of the navy, there is an emergency. Recruitment remains an absolute priority.

“We need sailors, technicians, engineers, operators … These are hundreds of positions to be filled, and the needs will further increase by 2030, that is why we must make defense more accessible”, he underlines. According to him, it would take 1000 people in addition by then, or even 2000 if we really want to achieve the objectives set.

“We are therefore in the process of adapting certain physical requirements, expanding the age groups, and revised medical criteria. All of this makes it possible to expand the pool. We want the defense to be a reflection of the company, without lowering the level of operational requirement”, wishes to specify the admiral.

An example, that of visual acuity, which is sometimes obsolete. Today, the navy is working with automated systems. “No need to know how to make astronomical navigation”.

This lack of staff does not yet block the missions, but it weighs on the resilience of the navy. “In the absence of workforce, we cannot double the crews or guarantee real administrative support at the quay. It happens that ships stay afloat on weekends, simply because we do not have enough people to ensure the next generation.”

The Admiral also pleads for greater flexibility in the routes. He imagines a system where one could move away from the army for a few years – for family reasons, for example – then come back to it. “”This is already the case for some profiles on patrollers, but you have to be able to go further. This also supposes legislative changes “, he underlines.

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Towards a revision of Health criteria

The Directorate General of Human Resources is currently working on these reforms. And the navy, for its part, is clearly one of the most in a hurry to see them materialize.

The modification of health criteria is also at the heart of this transformation. Defense wishes to develop its health criteria, not by lowering the bar, but by adapting its requirements to the reality on the ground and the profiles of today.

Now, make way for a more flexible, more individualized assessment. Rather than disqualifying to the first anomaly, we look at the candidate’s potential, his evolution capacities, and above all, the specific needs of each function.

This approach intends to open the door more to profiles which would have been excluded before. Concretely, recruits should have a tailor -made adaptation and medical support, provided by the teams of the Army Health Service. A small revolution that allows recruitment to be aligned with the operational and human realities today.