Belgium Convenes Security Council Over Hybrid Threats

Belgium’s National Security Council will meet on Friday to address escalating hybrid warfare threats across Europe and at home, as the country’s top military official warned that both Belgium and the wider continent are racing to strengthen their defenses. Chief of Defense Frederik Vansina said incidents have been mounting since the start of the year, prompting the government to convene its highest strategic security body.

The National Security Council (Nationale Veiligheidsraad) is the federal government’s principal consultative body on strategic security matters, covering terrorism, extremism, espionage, cyber threats and other risks. Federal security services and the competent ministers are preparing a plan to better protect the country against possible incidents, according to VRT NWS.

No Concrete Threat, But Rising Incidents

Speaking on VRT NWS radio program “De Ochtend,” Vansina stressed that there is currently no specific or imminent threat against Belgium. Rather, the meeting is intended to ensure the government stays fully informed of the latest intelligence gathered by security services.

“We see the incidents escalating since the beginning of the year. That’s why the government is convening the National Security Council,” Vansina said. “On this moment there is no concrete cause or concrete threat for our country. Intelligence from our eastern allies points to an increase. It is important to put everything together and get a better picture of the situation.”

Several recent incidents across Europe have fueled concern. In August, a drone carrying explosives was found at Leipzig airport in Germany, apparently targeting a Ukrainian cargo aircraft and attributed by authorities to Russia. Over the weekend of 27 September, a planned attack on the RAF military base at Fairford in the United Kingdom was foiled, with police investigating a possible Iranian link alongside Russia. Drones have also repeatedly entered the airspace of NATO’s eastern members, including Poland and Romania.

Why Belgium Is a Target

Vansina said Belgium is considered an “interesting” target for hybrid attacks because of its NATO headquarters, the financial clearing house Euroclear — which manages frozen Russian assets — its ports, important military bases, and its role as a logistics transit country for reinforcements in the event of a conflict.

Interior Minister Bernard Quintin told the Chamber that Belgium is adapting its approach to the shifting threat. “There are of course protection plans for our infrastructure, but which must always be adapted, because the threat adapts,” he said, as RTL Info reported. “We take these threats very seriously and we take all necessary measures. We must do more, do even better and adapt to the reality of the situation.”

Among the sites cited as potential targets are the port of Antwerp, the Zeebrugge gas terminal, NATO headquarters, European Union institutions and Euroclear. At the European level, the EU was discussing a possible emergency mechanism of its own, inspired by NATO’s collective response, to strengthen its common riposte to hybrid attacks.

Strengthening Defenses, Slowly

Belgium has accelerated €50 million in investment to better protect its military bases against drones, and Vansina said the equipment is now “mostly delivered and in use.” The army chief also noted that sensors from other actors, such as air traffic controller Skeyes, are being integrated into Belgium’s air command center.

“Our bases are now better protected against drones than a year ago,” he said, adding that the country continuously takes measures to improve the security of its quarters and, by extension, of the population.

That investment traces back to late 2025, when repeated drone sightings over the military base of Marche-en-Famenne — headquarters of the land army brigade — prompted then-Defense Minister Theo Francken to call the incidents “a clearly orchestrated operation” and point to Russia. Francken pushed the short-term €50 million plan (detection equipment, anti-drone jammers, anti-drone shotguns) alongside a longer-term €500 million package, as TRT Nederlands reported. Police and military intelligence (ADIV) opened an investigation.

Speaking in the Chamber in November 2025, Vansina had already said Belgium was “the focus of the increased hybrid threat,” citing drones over airports and military domains, suspicious ships off the coast, increased cyber threats and “assertive rhetoric” on social media. “All signals point the same direction,” he said at the time, referring to “actions with strong indications that they are steered by Russia,” according to Redactie24.

Article 5 and the Fear of the Threshold

Central to Vansina’s remarks is the specter of NATO’s Article 5, the collective defense clause that treats an attack on one member as an attack on all. He said Russia aims to undermine European support for Ukraine both directly — as seen in Leipzig — and indirectly, by eroding the political will of allies and public opinion.

“Russia is a master at flirting with the Article 5 threshold,” he said. “Until now it was always below the threshold, but the fear does exist that sooner or later it could cross that threshold.”

The chief of defense raised the possibility of a “false flag” operation — for example, capturing Ukrainian drones and landing them on the critical infrastructure of an ally — or even the temporary partial occupation of a country’s territory. He voiced particular concern about unease among eastern European allies who worry Russia might test Article 5 through a limited action.

Still, Vansina emphasized NATO’s resolve and dismissed the prospect of a full-scale Russian attack on a member state, noting much of Moscow’s force is consumed in Ukraine. “Should Russia take it into its head to carry out an action that exceeds the level of Article 5, then NATO will hit back very hard,” he said.

What’s Next

Beyond budgets, Vansina identified defense industry capacity as “one of the most pressing problems at the moment,” calling for the sector to scale up. He framed Ukraine’s fight as buying Europe time to rebuild its defenses after decades of underinvestment.

“Europe and Belgium are strengthening themselves, and that takes time. Here and now we are not yet strong enough; everyone is working very hard on that,” he said. “Ukraine is actually buying time for us, so that after 35 years of lack of investment we can get our defense back in order.”

When the National Security Council convenes on Friday, it will weigh how to close that gap — and how to deter an adversary that, in Vansina’s telling, is content for now to test the edges of the alliance’s resolve.