Revised national security strategy prepares Belgium for an unstable world

Our FPS played a key role during the revision of the national security strategy. Belgium will be more committed than ever to protecting its people, strengthening our sovereignty, and increasing our resilience.

We've said it many times before and it still holds true: the world has become a pretty unstable place. This was already the case in 2021, when Belgium finalised its first national security strategy.

Russian invasion

Even back then, issues included rising tensions between major powers, hybrid warfare, disinformation, cybercrime, a disrupting climate, and even a growing aversion to a rules-based international order. And, of course, we were still in the midst of the COVID-19 crisis, which exposed our vulnerability to a pandemic.

Those ominous trends had intensified by the time the De Wever government got off the ground in early 2025. For example, the Russian invasion of Ukraine dealt a severe blow to the global economy and to an already fragile international order.

On top of that came the conflict in Gaza, along with an increasingly unstable Sahel region, a changing transatlantic relationship, rapid technological developments, such as artificial intelligence, and ecological changes—including climate disruption, loss of biodiversity, and more.

Furthermore, the intention was for every new Belgian government to revise the national security strategy. The coalition agreement therefore stated that this strategy would be updated within the year, which was a clear signal to our FPS to get started immediately.

Penholder

As the pre-eminent department for security, our FPS played a crucial role in the review, just as it did with the previous strategy. After all, it is striking just how many aspects of our national security depend on other countries.

For example, as a small country with an open economy, we heavily rely on foreign trade. And threats such as rivalry between major powers, extremist ideologies, organised crime, climate disasters, and rapidly spreading viruses are equally linked to what is taking place beyond our borders.

That's why our FPS—together with the Prime Minister’s Office—was the penholder for the revised strategy. We did not just propose text; we also focused on what we do best— coordinating, bringing partners together, facilitating debate, and compiling, processing, and resubmitting ideas (see box).

Whole of government

The end result was a more concise version than the previous strategy. There is also an increased emphasis on the whole of government aspect: national security is essentially a responsibility of all levels of government, including the federated entities. But the general public—the whole of society—also has a role to play.

Three policy priorities guide our approach to addressing growing insecurity and instability, namely: (1) protecting our people, (2) strengthening our sovereignty, and (3) increasing our resilience.

This is reflected, among other things, in the protection of democracy and the rule of law, more effective armed forces, and consular assistance to the more than half a million Belgians abroad—a core task of our FPS.

Another notable point is our need for greater autonomy in terms of critical raw materials, infrastructure, energy, technology, and more. This is especially true at the EU level, where our FPS also plays a prominent role.

Mutually beneficial partnerships

It also remains crucial for our country that a solid 'multilateralism' remains in place. In other words, that countries continue to work together within international organisations to find solutions to international problems such as cybersecurity, climate and environmental challenges, terrorism, and organised crime.

The fight against impunity also remains a priority, preferably within international courts such as the International Criminal Court and the International Court of Justice. Mutually beneficial partnerships established through our development cooperation also contribute to our national security. These are also all matters that fall within the core responsibilities of our FPS.

Measurable indicators

However, it does not end with this revised security strategy, which serves as an overarching document under which other plans and strategies—such as defence, resilience, etc.—fall.

First, all existing plans and strategies will be identified and structured based on the policy guidelines. The actual implementation of the strategies will then be regularly evaluated using measurable indicators.

In 2021, we were among the first EU countries to have developed a national security strategy. Many EU countries now have such a strategy in place. The revised version better equips our country to deal with a rapidly changing world marked by increasing security risks. Our FPS played a key role in its development and will continue to do so during its implementation and follow-up.

Read the complete national security strategy (only available in Dutch and French)