The health requirements for serving compulsory military service or as a reservist in the Belgian army will be eased as of September 1.
As a result of this measure, between ten and twenty percent of candidates who are currently rejected will be able to begin military training, said Belgian Defense Minister Theo Franken.
The minister expects the number of recruits to increase when medical examinations become less strict. „For certain positions, they can be a little more lenient,“ Franken told the daily Het Laatste Nieuws today.
He simultaneously emphasized that candidates must still be „fit for duty.“
„Not every soldier has to meet the same very strict criteria. For example, if your eyesight is not perfect, that should not be a problem, unless you want to become an F-35 fighter pilot,“ the Belgian minister said.
A year ago, the Ministry of Defense announced its intention to double its personnel by 2035, aiming to have 34,500 soldiers, 12,800 reservists, and 8,500 civilians by then.
The easing of health requirements for future soldiers should be viewed in this context.
The Belga agency writes that Franken requested the health requirements be eased, but that the new criteria were determined by the medical service of the Ministry of Defense.
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