Belgium - Military

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Belgium is located Western Europe, bordering the North Sea, between France and the Netherlands. The climate is temperate; mild winters, cool summers; rainy, humid, cloudy. The terrain is flat coastal plains in northwest, central rolling hills, rugged mountains of Ardennes Forest in southeast.

Military branches

This entry lists the service branches subordinate to defense ministries or the equivalent (typically ground, naval, air, and marine forces).
Military branches - Belgian Armed Forces : Land Operations Command, Naval Operations Command, Air Operations Command (2008)

Military service age and obligation

This entry gives the required ages for voluntary or conscript military service and the length of service obligation.
Military service age and obligation : 18 years of age for voluntary military service; conscription suspended (2008)

Manpower available for military service

This entry gives the number of males and females falling in the military age range for a country (defined as being ages 16-49) and assumes that every individual is fit to serve.
Manpower available for military service - males age 16-49 : 2,407,128
Manpower available for military service - females age 16-49 : 2,340,039 (2008 est.)

Manpower fit for military service

This entry gives the number of males and females falling in the military age range for a country (defined as being ages 16-49) and who are not otherwise disqualified for health reasons; accounts for the health situation in the country and provides a more realistic estimate of the actual number fit to serve.
Manpower fit for military service - males age 16-49 : 1,973,167
Manpower fit for military service - females age 16-49 : 1,915,990 (2008 est.)

Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually

This entry gives the number of males and females entering the military manpower pool (i.e., reaching age 16) in any given year and is a measure of the availability of military-age young adults.
Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually - male : 64,659
Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually - female : 61,881 (2008 est.)

Military expenditures

This entry gives spending on defense programs for the most recent year available as a percent of gross domestic product (GDP); the GDP is calculated on an exchange rate basis, i.e., not in terms of purchasing power parity (PPP).
Military expenditures : 1.3% of GDP (2005 est.)

More Information about the country