Theo Francken
Photo: Wikadvisor21, CC BY-SA 4.0 (Wikimedia Commons, cropped)
Headlines and summaries are written by AI. How it works
- Oct 26
French frigate shoots down ballistic missile near Belgian minehunter Primula
The missile was intercepted on or around 14 October in the Bab el-Mandeb strait off Yemen, where the Houthis are presumed to have fired it. Sources say the minehunter was probably not the target, and France has opened an investigation.
- Oct 19
Francken proposes 'gendarmerie 2.0' military-trained police reserve in Belgium
Belgian Defence Minister Theo Francken wants a police reserve trained by the military, placed under the Interior ministry, to handle riots in Brussels and Liège. Unions and parties are split, and the ministers say the talks are at an early stage.
- Oct 14
Russia summons Belgian ambassador over accusations of hybrid war and sabotage
Russia's Foreign Ministry summoned Belgium's ambassador to Moscow, Michel Gerebtzoff, on Tuesday, 13 October 2026, rejecting Belgian claims of Russian sabotage and hybrid threats. The federal government in Brussels declined to comment.
- Oct 5
Flemish minister Ben Weyts reprimands aide over fabricated gay Muslim op-ed
Flemish Budget Minister Ben Weyts issued a formal reprimand to a 26-year-old cabinet staffer who submitted a fake op-ed under the alias Mohammed El Idrissi to test media bias, while rejecting opposition demands for dismissal.
- Oct 1
Damen demands 4.7 billion euros from Germany over cancelled F126 frigate program
Dutch shipbuilder Damen Schelde Naval Shipbuilding is seeking approximately 4.7 billion euros from the German government after Defense Minister Boris Pistorius scrapped a six-vessel naval contract.
- Oct 1
NATO Officials Rule Out Immediate Russian Invasion but Warn of Escalating Hybrid Warfare
Military leaders and NATO officials in Brussels stated that Russian conventional forces cannot launch an invasion against member states, even as Moscow intensifies sub-threshold hybrid operations across Europe.
- Sep 29
Belgium to transfer three operational F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine by end of 2026
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy confirmed that Belgium will deliver three combat-ready F-16 fighter jets by late 2026 under an accelerated transfer procedure to boost air defense capabilities against Russian attacks.
