Belgian army seeks gamers to fight hybrid warfare

Like most European countries, Belgium has embarked on a comprehensive programme to strengthen its military defence. In a new recruitment campaign, it's particularly looking for console pros.

Flying aerial, marine or underwater drones requires skills specific to gamers. The Belgian army has understood this well. As Captain Kurt De Winter, director of the Maritime Operations Centre (MOC) in Zeebrugge, Belgium, told La Dernière Heure: "the people who are behind their game consoles […] interest us." The Kingdom's army seeks to strengthen its teams of active personnel and reservists to respond to new threats and NATO missions. One of the strategic priorities is the monitoring of maritime traffic as part of actions for prevention, counter-espionage and the protection of civilian and military infrastructures. And to operate the drones and platforms required for these missions, experts in joysticks and virtual reality headsets are needed. Other profiles are actively sought with a constant: the technological evolution offering career prospects to a new type of audience. Thus, the naval recruitment offers concern technicians, divers, officers, engineers and project managers...

(MH with Olivier Duquesne – Source: La Dernière Heure – Picture: © picture alliance / Westend61 | Eugenio Marongiu)