Belgian Land Component

Land Component Composante terre / Landcomponent Landkomponente
A detachment of the 2nd/4th Regiment Mounted Rifles at the 2007 Bastille Day Military Parade.
Active	1830-2002: Army 2002-present: Land Component
Country	Belgium
Allegiance	Belgium
Size	12.000 military personnel; 2.000 civilian personnel
Commanders
Commander	Major-General Eddy Testelmans

The Land Component (Dutch: Landcomponent, French: Composante terre), formerly the Belgian Land Force, is the land-based branch of the Belgian Armed Forces. The current chief of staff of the Land Component is Major-General Eddy Testelmans.

For a detailed history of the Belgian Army from 1830 to post 1945 see Belgian Armed Forces.

Ranks in use by the Belgian Army are listed at Belgian military ranks.

Organisation 1870s

The Regiment of Grenadiers on maneuvers 1894

The former King and the armed forces

According to the Law of 16 August 1873, the army was to consist of:

Infantry

• 14 regiments of line infantry (three active battalions, one inactive and one company in each regiment depot)
• 3 regiments of Jäger (three active battalions, one inactive and one company in each regiment depot)
• 1 regiment of grenadiers (three active battalions, one inactive and one company in each regiment depot)
• 1 regiment of Carabinier (four battalions active, 2 inactive and 1 depot company of deposit)
• 2 companies settled
• 1 discipline body
• 1 school of children troop

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

Cavalry

• 4 regiments of lancers (4 active squadrons and one reinforcement in each regiment)
• 2 regiments of guides (ditto)
• 2 regiments of Chasseur (ditto)

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

World War I

See Belgian Army order of battle (1914) 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 de Selliers de Moranville as the Chief of the General Staff.

• 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.

The Belgian Army stubbornly resisted during the early days of the war, with the army - around a tenth the size of the German Army - holding up the German offensive for nearly a month, giving their French and British allies time to strengthen for the Marne counteroffensive later in the year.

World War II

• See article: Battle of Belgium
• See article: Belgian Army 1940
• See article: Battle of France

In 1940, the Belgian Army was organized as follows. The King of Belgium was the commander in chief. There were 100,000 active duty personnel with army strength reaching 550,000 when mobilized. There were five corps, including three Active Army Corps (Infantry); Brussels, Antwerp, and Liege and later as follows:

The I Corps with the 1st, 4th, and 7th Infantry Divisions; the II Corps with the 6th, 11th, and 14th Infantry Divisions; the III Corps with the 1st Chasseurs Ardennais and the 2nd and 3rd Infantry Divisions; the IV Corps with the 9th, 15th, and 18th Infantry Divisions; and the V and VI Corps with three divisions each. Army Corps consisted of Corps Staff, two active and several reserve Infantry Divisions, Corps Artillery Regiment of 4 battalions of two batteries with 16 artillery pieces per battalion, and a Pioneer regiment.

The infantry divisions had a division staff and three infantry regiments each of 3,000 men. each regiment had 108 light machineguns, 52 heavy machineguns, nine heavy mortars or infantry gun howitzers, and six antitank guns.

There was also a cavalry Corps of two divisions.

Within the Free Belgian Forces that were formed in Great Britain during the occupation of Belgium between 1940–45, 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.

Cold War

See also: NORTHAG wartime structure in 1989 § I Belgian Corps

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-cyclistes, and 4th Carabiniers-cyclistes), 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

See also List of active units of the Belgian Army

Medium Brigade

Light Brigade

Belgian Army - brigade locations

The Land Component is organised using the concept of capacities, whereby units are gathered together according to their function and material. Within this framework, there are five capacities: command, combat, support, services and training.

The command capacity groups the following levels of command: COMOPSLAND (Operational Command of the Land Component), Medium Brigade at Leopoldsburg (formed from the 1st Mechanised Brigade in 2011) and Light Brigade (formerly the 7th Mechanised Brigade) at Marche-en-Famenne.

The combat capacity comprises the main fighting units of the Land Component. It consists of two Para-Commando battalions, the Special Forces Group and five infantry battalions. The infantry battalions are the Regiment Liberation - 5th of the Line, the Regiment Carabiniers Prince Baudouin - Grenadiers, the Regiment of Ardennes Rifles, the Regiment 12th of the Line Prince Leopold - 13th of the Line and the 1st/3rd Lancers Regiment.

The support capacity is, as its name suggests, the support arm of the Land Component and comprises one reconnaissance units, a unit for information analysis, civilian-military cooperation and operational communication unit (known as the Information Operations Group or 17 Recce, based at Heverlee), one artillery unit and two engineer battalions. The reconnaissance unit is the Bataillon de Chasseurs à Cheval. The artillery unit is the 2nd Field Artillery Regiment. The engineer battalions are the 4th and the 11th Engineer Battalion.

The service capacity comprises communication and information systems (CIS) groups, three logistics battalions, the Military Police Group and the Military Detachment Palace of the Nation, the Explosive Ordnance Disposal (known as DOVO in Dutch and SEDEE in French, the Movement Control Group and the training centres and camps. The three CIS groups are: the 4th, the 6th and the 10th Group CIS. The logistics battalions are: the 4th, the 18th and the 29th. The Belgian Military Police Group (Groupe Police Militaire / Groep Militaire Politie - Gp MP) is a joint force made up of about 200 personnel assigned to five detachments located around the country. The Military Police Group staff is located in the Queen Elizabeth Barracks in the Brussels suburb of Evere. Alpha Detachment located at Evere covers the province of Flemish Brabant and the capital, Brussels. Bravo Detachment covers Walloon Brabant, Hainaut and Namur areas and is located at Nivelles. Charlie Detachment located at Marche-en-Famenne covers the Liege and Luxembourg areas. Delta Detachment covers the Limburg and Antwerp areas and is located at Leopoldsburg. Echo Detachment located at Lombardsijde covers West and East Flanders.

The training capacity comprises four departments: the Training Department Infantry at Arlon, the Training Department Armour-Cavalry at Leopoldsburg, the Training Department Artillery at Brasschaat and the Training Department Engineers at Namur.

Some of the regiments in the Land Component, such as the Regiment 12th of the Line Prince Leopold - 13th of the Line, have names consisting of multiple elements. This is the result of a series of amalgamations which took place over the years. The Regiment 12th of the Line Prince Leopold - 13th of the Line 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.

Structure of the Belgian Land Forces

There are two Brigades and they are organised as follows:

Medium Brigade	Light Brigade
HQ Company "8/9 Linie"	HQ Company "4 Rgt. Commando"
Mechanized Inf. Rgt. "1/3 Lanciers"	Light Inf. Rgt. "12 Ligne Prince Léopold- 13 Ligne"
Mechanized Inf. Rgt. "Chasseurs Ardennais"	2nd Commando Battalion
Mech. Inf. Rgt. "Carabiniers Prins Boudewijn- Grenadiers"	3rd Paratroop Battalion
Mechanized Inf. Rgt. "Bevrijding- 5 Linie"	Special Forces Group

Equipment

Firearms

Belgian soldiers with FN FNC assault rifles.

Belgian Special Forces Group soldier with a FN SCAR-H rifle.

Weapon	Caliber	Origin	Notes
Pistols and Submachine Guns
Browning GP	9×19mm	Belgium	Standard issue firearm, being phased out in favour of the FN Five-seven.
FN Five-seven	5.7×28 mm	Belgium	Formerly issued to pilots and SFG members, now entering service as the standard issue sidearm.
FN P90	5.7×28 mm	Belgium	Personal defence weapon used by selected troops, including special forces.
Assault Rifles, Battle Rifles and Carbines
FN FNC	5.56×45mm	Belgium	Service rifle, To be replaced with SCAR-L.
FN F2000	5.56×45mm	Belgium	Used by special forces, and elsewhere in limited quantities to serve alongside the FN FNC.
FN SCAR-L	5.56×45mm	Belgium	4500 SCAR-L ordered to replace the FNC as the new standard service rifle between 2015-2017.
FN SCAR-H	7.62×51mm	Belgium	63 SCAR-H SQC ordered for special forces combat divers.
Sniper Rifles
FN SCAR-H PR	7.62×51mm	Belgium	287 SCAR-H PR rifles on order to replace the AW between 2015 - 2017
Accuracy International Arctic Warfare	7.62×51mm	United Kingdom	Will be replaced by a combination of SCAR-H PR, AXMC and M107A1.
Accuracy International AX338	.338 LM	United Kingdom
Barrett M107A1	12.7×99mm	United States	59 delivered by the end of 2014
Machine Guns
FN Minimi	5.56×45mm	Belgium	Light machine gun
FN MAG	7.62×51mm	Belgium	General-purpose machine gun
M2HB	12.7×99 mm	United States	Heavy Machine Gun
Shotguns
Remington 870	12-gauge	United States	In service since 2008
Anti-tank Missile Launchers
MILAN	115 mm	France	ATGM
Spike-MR		Israel	ATGM
Anti-tank Rocket Launchers
Panzerfaust 3	110 mm	Germany	Anti-tank rocket launcher.
Anti-air Missile Launchers
MISTRAL		France	Infrared surface-to-air missile. 30 in service
Artillery
120 RT Mortar	120 mm	France	About 30 in use
M1 Mortar	81 mm	United States	About 42 in use
M19 Mortar	60 mm	United States	About 60 used by the ParaCommando regiment for light fire support.
LG1 Mark II Howitzer	105 mm	France	About 24 in use
Grenades
Mecar M72 HE grenade	NA	Belgium	Fragmentation hand grenade
Mecar M93BG grenade	NA	Belgium	Rifle grenade for the FN FNC
M18 grenade	NA	United States	Smoke hand grenade
Mines
M6A2 Mine	NA	United States	Anti-tank mine
Miscellaneous
HAFLA	NA	Germany	Single-shot, disposable incendiary weapon

Vehicles

The Belgian Army is currently undergoing a major re-equipment programme for most of its vehicles. The aim is 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 (2 Inf Coy and 1 Tk Sqn per Bn). 40 Leopard 1 tanks were still waiting to be sold; the rest were transferred to Lebanon. As of 2013, only some M113 variants (Radar, recovery, command postn 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 will be 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.

Name	Origin	Type	Number	Photo	Notes
Armoured vehicles
Piranha IIIC	Switzerland	Armoured fighting vehicle	138		7 variants: 99 FUS for troop transport 32 DF30: Fire support version equipped with MK44 Bushmaster II in an ORCWS-30 40 DF90: Fire support version equipped with a 90 mm cannon 24 CP serving as a mobile command post 12 Ambulance versions 17 Recovery versions 18 Engineering variants providing Mobility, Countermobility and Protection
Pandur I	Austria	Armoured personnel carrier	59		45 Reconnaissance variants, 10 Ambulance variants and 4 Maintenance variants.
ATF Dingo 2 MPPV	Germany	Infantry mobility vehicle	218		156 FUS variants for troop transport 52 Command Post (CP) 10 Ambulance variants
Unarmoured vehicles
Iveco LMV	Italy	Light utility vehicle	620		Replacing the Volkswagen Iltis, 180 with optional removable ballistic protection kits
Volkswagen Iltis	Germany	Light utility vehicle	2150		Being phased out
M-Gator	United States	Light utility vehicle			For medical evacuation
Iveco M250	Italy	Medium Heavy Truck	400		350 with optional removable ballistic protection kits

Belgian soldier next to a Mercedes-Benz Transporter.

• Liebherr Litronic 912 - tracked excavator
• URO VAMTAC - 4x4 light truck for NBC decontamination
• Renault Kerax - 30T 8x4 heavy recovery vehicle
• BMW R 1150 RT - Military Police motorcycle
• Krupp AS35 - wheeled lifting crane
• Mercedes-Benz 814 Transporter - light truck
• Unimog U1350L - Light utility vehicle
• Fiat-Hitachi W170 - wheeled loader
• Iveco EuroCargo - 7.5T 4x2 light truck
• Iveco EuroTrakker MP410 E44H - 16T 8x4 heavy truck for containerised transport
• Scania P124 CA - 6x4 heavy plant transporter
• Scania T144 - 6x4 tank transporter
• Volvo Trucks N10 - 10T 6x4 medium truck
• JCB Groundhog - Light utility buggy for airborne units
• Case 9013 - tracked excavator
• Caterpillar D6 - tracked bulldozer
• Grove GMK3050 - wheeled all-terrain crane

In addition a number of other light utility vehicles are used.

Former Equipment

An M75 APC at the Brussels army museum.

• MAP - NATO :
  • Armor
    • Sherman Firefly
    • M4 105mm
    • M24 Chaffee
    • M26 Pershing
    • M46 Patton
    • M47 Patton
    • M41 Walker Bulldog
    • Leopard 1
  • AIFVs
    • M75
    • AMX-VCI
    • CVR(T)
    • AIFV
    • M113 including indigenous variants
    • Various types of M3 Half-track
  • SP artillery
    • M7 Priest
    • M41 155 mm Howitzer Motor Carriage
    • Jagdpanzerkanone JPK
    • Flakpanzer Gepard
    • M108 Howitzer
    • M109 howitzer
  • Others
    • M74 Armored Recovery Vehicle
    • Bergepanzer 2A1

External links

• Belgian Army website (in French)
• Belgian Army website (in Dutch)
• http://www.sfg.be - The Special Forces Group of the belgian army