Belgian Land Component

The Land Component (, ), historically and commonly still referred to as the Belgian Army (, ), is the land branch of the Belgian Armed Forces. The King of the Belgians is the commander in chief. The current chief of staff of the Land Component is Major-General Jean-Pol Baugnée.

Dating back to Belgium's establishment in 1830, the Land Component is the oldest service branch of the Belgian Armed Forces, and is also the largest of the four branches, with approximately 10,000 active military personnel and over 2,000 reservists as of 2022.

History

Early history

The Belgian Army was established in 1830 after Belgium gained independence from the Netherlands after the Belgian Revolution. It was initially expected that as neutral buffer state with borders guaranteed by France, Britain, and Prussia, Belgium could avoid the need for an expensive permanent military, relying instead on the part-time militia of the existing (Civil Guard); however, the need of a regular full-time army was soon acknowledged, and the Belgian Army was promptly established.

According to the Law of August 1837, the Belgian Army was to consist of:

Infantry

*14 line infantry regiments (3 active battalions, 1 reserve and 1 company in each regiment depot)
*3 ''Jäger'' regiments (3 active battalions, 1 reserve and 1 company in each regiment depot)
*1 grenadier regiment (3 active battalions, 1 reserve and 1 company in each regiment depot)
*1 carabinier regiment (4 active battalions, 2 reserve and 1 depot company of deposit)
*2 companies settled
*1 discipline body
*1 military school for children of servicemen

Note: A battalion (864 men) consists of four companies of 216 men

Cavalry

*4 lancer regiments (4 active squadrons and one reinforcement in each regiment)
*4 guides regiments (4 active squadrons and one reinforcement in each regiment)
*2 '' chasseur'' regiments (4 active squadrons and one reinforcement in each regiment)

Note: A squadron had approximately 130 horses

Artillery

*4 regiments of artillery (10 batteries in each regiment)
*3 regiments of fortress artillery or siege artillery (16 batteries, 1 battery and 1 spare battery depot in each regiment)
*1 pontoon company
*1 company of artificers
*1 company of gunsmiths
*1 company of artillery workers

Note: A battery has 6 guns

Engineering

*1 Engineer Regiment (3 active battalions and one depot battalion)
*1 railway company
*1 campaign telegraph company
*1 telegraph room company
*1 pontoon room company
*1 workers company

Train

*7 train companies

First World War

A major reorganisation of the army had been authorised by the government in 1912, providing for a total army of 350,000 men by 1926: 150,000 in the field forces, 130,000 in fortress garrisons and 70,000 reserves and auxiliaries. At the outbreak of war this reorganisation was nowhere near complete and only 117,000 men could be mobilised for the field forces, with the other branches equally deficient.

The Commander-in-Chief was King Albert I, with Lieutenant-General Chevalier Antonin de Selliers de Moranville as the Chief of the General Staff from 25 May 1914 until 6 September 1914 when a Royal Decree abolished the function of Chief of Staff of the army. In this way the King secured his control of the command.

* 1st Division (Lieutenant-General Baix) - around Ghent.
* 2nd Division (Lieutenant-General Dassin) - Antwerp.
* 3rd Division (Lieutenant-General Leman) - around Liège.
* 4th Division (Lieutenant-General Michel) - Namur and Charleroi.
* 5th Division (Lieutenant-General Ruwet) - around Mons.
* 6th Division (Lieutenant-General Albert Lantonnois van Rode) - Brussels.
* Cavalry Division (Lieutenant-General de Witte) - Brussels.

In addition, there were garrisons at Antwerp, Liège and Namur, each placed under the command of the local divisional commander.

Each division contained three mixed brigades (of two infantry regiments and one artillery regiment), one cavalry regiment, and one artillery regiment, as well as various support units. Each infantry regiment contained three battalions, with one regiment in each brigade having a machine-gun company of six guns. An artillery regiment had three batteries of four guns.

The nominal strength of a division varied from 25,500 to 32,000 all ranks, with a total strength of eighteen infantry battalions, a cavalry regiment, eighteen machine-guns, and forty-eight guns. Two divisions (the 2nd and 6th) each had an additional artillery regiment, for a total of sixty guns.

The Cavalry Division had two brigades of two regiments each, three horse artillery batteries, and a cyclist battalion, along with support units; it had a total strength of 4,500 all ranks with 12 guns, and was, in effect, little more than a reinforced brigade.

Second World War

In 1940, the King of Belgium was the commander in chief of the Belgian Army which had a mobilised strength of 610,000 troops. The army was composed of seven infantry corps and one cavalry corps. The corps were as follows:
* I Corps with the 4th and 7th Infantry Divisions
* II Corps with the 6th and 9th Infantry Divisions
* III Corps with the 2nd and 3rd Infantry Divisions
* IV Corps with the 12th, 15th, and 18th Infantry Divisions
* V Corps with the 13th and 17th Infantry Divisions
* VI Corps with the 5th and 10th Infantry Divisions
* VII Corps with the 2nd Chasseurs Ardennais Division and 8th Infantry Division
* Cavalry Corps with the 2nd Cavalry Division and 1st and 14th Infantry Divisions
* Groupement Keyaerts with the 1st Chasseurs Ardennais Division and 1st Cavalry Division
* Army Reserve with the 11th and 16th Infantry Division
Each army corps had its own headquarters staff, medical and logistic support units, engineers and signal troops and corps-level artillery support.

Each infantry division had a divisional staff, reconnaissance unit, medical and logistic support units, engineers and signal troops. Active and first tier reserve divisions had two additional antitank companies. Infantry regiments numbered approximately 3,000 troops. Each active and first tier reserve regiment had 108 light machine guns, 52 heavy machine guns, 8 mortars and 12 antitank guns.

Within the Free Belgian Forces that were formed in Great Britain during the occupation of Belgium between 1940 and 1945, there was a land force formation, the 1st Belgian Infantry Brigade. An additional three divisions were raised and trained in Northern Ireland, but the war ended before they could see action. However, they joined the initial Belgian occupation force in Germany, I Belgian Corps, whose headquarters moved to Luedenscheid in October 1946. Of the 75,000 troops that found themselves in Germany on 8 May 1945, the vast majority had been recruited after the liberation of Belgium.

There was also a Bicycle infantry known as the Frontier Cyclists.

Korean War

During the Korean War, Belgium provided combat troops for South Korea and became part of the United Nations Forces.

Cold War

During the Cold War, Belgium provided the I Belgian Corps (HQ Haelen Kaserne, Junkersdorf, Lindenthal (Cologne)), consisting of the 1st Infantry Division in Liège and 16th Mechanised Division in Neheim-Hüsten, to NATO's Northern Army Group for the defence of West Germany. There were also two reserve brigades (10th Mechanised Brigade, Limbourg, and the 12th Motorised Brigade, Liège), slightly bigger than the four active brigades, which were intended as reinforcements for the two divisions. Interior forces comprised the Para-Commando Regiment in Heverlee, three national defence light infantry battalions (5th Chasseurs Ardennais, 3rd Carabiniers-cyclists, and 4th Carabiniers-cyclists), four engineer battalions, and nine provincial regiments with two to five light infantry battalions each. (Isby and Kamps, 1985, 64, 72)

After the end of the Cold War, forces were reduced. Initial planning in 1991 called for a Belgian-led corps with 2 or 4 Belgian brigades, a German brigade, and possibly a U.S. brigade. However, by 1992 this plan was looking unlikely, and in 1993 a single Belgian division with two brigades became part of the Eurocorps.

Structure

Current

The Land Component is organised as 1 Brigade and 1 Special Operations Regiment. In total, the Land Component consists of almost 10,000 active military personnel (as of 2019). After the 2018 reforms, the ground forces are organised as follows:

Belgian Army Staff (the HQ of the Land Component) It oversees and plans all activities and operations of the land component.

* ''Motorized Brigade'' at Leopoldsburg (formed from the Medium Brigade). The brigade comprises about 7,500 soldiers divided into 16 units. The combat capacity consists of three motorized infantry battalions equipped with Piranha IIIC vehicles and two light infantry battalions equipped with Dingo 2 vehicles, which are supported by two engineer battalions, two logistic battalions, two CIS groups (communications), one field artillery battalion, one reconnaissance ISTAR battalion equipped with Pandur I vehicles, two military training camps and a headquarters company. In the future the brigade is to be reorganized into four infantry battalions and two cavalry battalions.

* ''Special Operations Regiment'' (formerly the Light Brigade) at Heverlee. The regiment has approximately 1,500 elite soldiers under its command. It plans and carries out special operations all around the world and is the main expeditionary unit of the Belgian ground forces. The regiment consists of the 2nd commando battalion, the 3rd parachute battalion, the special forces group (SFG), the 6th communications group, parachute, and commando training centres, and the 4th commando HQ company. All units have airborne capabilities. The regiment operates light armoured vehicles to maneuver across difficult terrains.

The service capacity comprises the following units:

* Military Police Group
* Information Operations Group
* Explosive Removal and Destruction Service (DOVO in Dutch; SEDEE in French)
* Movement Control Group
* 29th Logistic Battalion
* Field Accommodation Unit
* Training centres and camps, comprising four departments:
** Training Department Infantry at Arlon
** Training Department Armour-Cavalry at Leopoldsburg
** Training Department Artillery at Brasschaat
** Training Department Engineers at Namur

Some of the regiments in the Land Component, such as the 12/13th Battalion of the Line, have names consisting of multiple elements. This is the result of a series of amalgamations that took place over the years. The 12/13th Battalion was created in 1993 as a result of the merger of the 12th Regiment of the Line Prince Leopold and the 13th Regiment of the Line.

Two Brigades in the Belgian Army

To enhance organizational efficiency, the Belgian Army will, by 2032, establish a dedicated brigade for each of Belgium's major linguistic communities. The structure and composition of these brigades are outlined as follows:
----Southern Brigade (Francophone)

Headquartered in Marche-en-Famenne, the Southern Brigade includes the following units:

* Chasseurs Ardennais: An infantry battalion based in Marche-en-Famenne.
* 12/13th Line Infantry Battalion: Also based in Marche-en-Famenne.
* 1/3rd Lancers: Transitioning into a cavalry battalion.
* 4th Engineer Battalion: Stationed in Amay.
* 4th CIS Group: Located in Marche-en-Famenne.
* Artillery Battalion Expansion: A second artillery battalion is planned by 2035. Meanwhile, the existing Artillery Battalion—based in Brasschaat and Lombardsijde—will establish a third base in Marche-en-Famenne.
* 4th Logistics Battalion: Currently based in Marche-en-Famenne.

----Northern Brigade (Dutch-speaking)

Headquartered in Leopoldsburg, the Northern Brigade is composed of the following units:

* Liberation – 5th Line Infantry Battalion: Based in Leopoldsburg.
* 1st Carabiniers Prince Boudewijn – Grenadiers: Currently based in Leopoldsburg but scheduled to fully relocate to Lombardsijde by 2025.
* 2/4th Lancers: A newly established cavalry battalion.
* 11th Engineer Battalion: Stationed in Burcht.
* Artillery Battalion: Based in Brasschaat.
* 10th CIS Group: Located in Leopoldsburg.
* 18th Logistics Battalion: Currently in Leopoldsburg. Under the new structure, one company will move to Lombardsijde, while the rest will transfer to the "Quarter of the Future North," planned for Schendelbeke near Geraardsbergen.

----Other Components of the Land Component

Beyond the two brigades, the Land Component includes several other units and structures:

# Special Operations Regiment (SOR) The SOR consists of:
#* Special Forces Group
#* Paracommando Units: 2 Commando and 3 Para.
#* 6th CIS Group: Provides communication support.
#* 210th Paracommando Logistics Company (to be reactivated): This unit will provide direct support to the SOR, complementing the 18th and 4th Logistics Battalions, which support the main brigades.
# Bilingual Battalion of Jagers te Paard (Heverlee)
#* This ISTAR (Intelligence, Surveillance, Target Acquisition, and Reconnaissance) unit will collaborate with a new reconnaissance battalion established through cooperation between Belgium and Luxembourg.
#* The binational battalion will be spread across Marche-en-Famenne, Arlon, and Diekirch (Luxembourg).
# Training and Education Branch (CC Land) This branch oversees all training centers and camps, including:
#* Infantry, Cavalry, and Engineering Training Centers
#* Training camps at Lombardsijde, Elsenborn, Lagland, Marche-en-Famenne, Leopoldsburg, and Brasschaat.
#* Training for Special Operations Forces at Marche-les-Dames and Schaffen, which fall under the SOR.
# Sustainment Branch This branch includes various support units operating across the entire structure, such as:
#* 29th and 8th Logistics Battalions
#* DOVO (Explosive Ordnance Disposal - EOD)
#* Movement Control Group (MCG)
#* Field Accommodation Unit (FAU)
#* Military Police
#* Civil-Military Engagement Group (Ci-MEG)

Ranks

Officer ranks

The rank insignia of commissioned officers.

Other ranks

The rank insignia of non-commissioned officers and enlisted personnel.

Equipment

The Belgian Army went through a major re-equipment programme for most of its vehicles. The aim was to phase out all tracked vehicles in favour of wheeled vehicles. As of 2010, the tank units were to be disbanded or amalgamated with the Armored Infantry (two infantry companies and one tank squadron per battalion). Forty Leopard 1 tanks were to be sold. As of 2013, only some M113 variants (Radar, recovery, command posts, and driving school vehicles) and Leopard variants (Recovery, AVLB, Pionier, driving tanks) will remain in service.

The Leopard 1A5 tank was retired on 10 September 2014. 56 of the tanks were sold, about 24 will stay as historic monuments or serve as a museum pieces; the rest will be phased out or used for target practice. In 2008 a sale of 43 Leopard 1A5(BE) to Lebanon was concluded, but as of 2018 was not finalized due to "the absence of licensing for export from Germany."

In the strategical defense vision report of the Belgian government, it was stated that by 2030 the Belgian land component will invest in new modern equipment such as weapons, vehicles, communication assets, body armor and more.

References

External links

Belgian Army website

Belgian Army website

The Special Forces Group of the belgian army
(Dutch and French)

{{Allied Land Command