Operation Vigilant Guardian

Operation Vigilant Guardian is a Belgian army operation following the January 2015 Île-de-France attacks and the dismantling of a terrorist cell in Verviers[1] having foiled attacks imminent, to deal with the terrorist threat and protect the "points" sensitive territory. The operation was put in place 16 January 2015 and is set to end mid-2021.[2]

The operation, originally codenamed Homeland, was significantly strengthened during the year 2015, after the attacks of 13 November, notably through the implementation of absolute emergency in the Brussels area from 21 to 26 November 2015 and after the attacks of 22 March 2016 in Brussels.[3]

The deployment of soldiers in the streets in Belgium is an unprecedented event since World War II and a number of violent events in the 1980s.[4]

Objectives

This military operation, in collaboration with the police, decided by the Belgian government, aims to secure "sensitive" locations to deal with the terrorist threat in crowded public places (stations, shopping centers, squares), places of worship, transportation (subways, trains, stations, airports), government institutions (European institutions, embassies, parliaments), schools, universities, hospitals, ports, nuclear power plants, and international borders.

Forces engaged

At the beginning of the operation only 150 military members were mobilized, the number of personnel has steadily increased to reach the figure of 1,828 soldiers mobilized by October 2016.[5]

Transaction costs

For the year 2015 (beginning of the operation Saturday, January 17, 2015), the cost of deployment of the military in street amounted to 17.15 million euros. In 2016, only for the first trismestre, the cost was 12.01 million. For the second quarter, specifically from 1 st April to 2 July, the amount is expected to reach 22.05 million euros, according to government estimates. The rising costs of Operation Vigilant Guardian is explained, according to the Interior Ministry, the fact that the number of personnel has increased steadily since 2015.[6]

Incidents
Main articles: June 2017 Brussels attack and August 2017 Brussels attack

June 20, 2017, a man enters the enclosure of the Brussels Central Station and tries to perpetrate a terrorist attack. The perpetrator, called Osama Z, will be killed by soldiers mobilized as part of Operation Vigilant Guardian, thwarting an attack.[7]

This neutralization, in addition to saving aspect, reports of an exceptional nature, this is the first time since the Second World War that a soldier kills someone on the Belgian territory.[8]

On 26 August 2017, a man was shot in the center of Brussels on the Boulevard Émile Jacqmain, after attacking with a knife military patrol, wounding one of them 9 . The federal prosecutor calls the terrorist attack aggression. It is claimed the next day by Daesh . A few days after the attack on 28 August 2017, the General Staff of the army Marc Thys, announced that the military should continue their patrols on the street, at least until 2020.

Foreign equivalent

The Vigilant Guardian transaction is directly inspired by the French military operation called Operation Sentinel implementation in the hexagon after the wave of attacks that hit France in January 2015.

References
  1. "Deux ans après: l'image de la Défense améliorée par la présence des militaires en rue". Rtbf.be. 17 January 2017. Retrieved 28 October 2017.
  2. "Vigilant Guardian: l'armée belge contre le terrorisme". Itele.fr. Retrieved 28 October 2017.
  3. Lasoen, Kenneth (2018). "War of Nerves. The Domestic Terror Threat and the Belgian Army". Studies in Conflict & Terrorism. 42: 1–19. doi:10.1080/1057610X.2018.1431270.
  4. "Les opérations de la Défense en 2015: un bilan rythmé par la menace terroriste". Rtbf.be. 21 January 2016. Retrieved 28 October 2017.
  5. "Les militaires sont déployés à 73% en Belgique et pour un quart à l'étranger". Lalibre.be. Retrieved 28 October 2017.; Lasoen, Kenneth (2017). "Indications and Warning in Belgium. Brussels is not Delphi". Journal of Strategic Studies. 40 (7): 945. doi:10.1080/01402390.2017.1288111.
  6. "Le coût des militaires en rue s'envole : 34 millions d'euros en à peine six mois". Lalibre.be. Retrieved 28 October 2017.
  7. "Tentative d'attentat à la gare centrale: le terroriste était connu pour un fait de drogue". Rtbf.be. 21 June 2017. Retrieved 29 October 2017.
  8. "Un militaire abat quelqu'un sur le sol belge: une première depuis la fin de la guerre - 7SUR7.be". M.7sur7.be. Retrieved 29 October 2017.
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