Military Intelligence Service ADIV wants to double the number of employees by 2040
Major General Stéphane Dutron. – © Belga
The Military Intelligence Service ADIV wants to expand firmly and aims for a doubling of the workforce by 2040. This is evident on Wednesday from the annual report of the intelligence service.
The federal government has previously announced that it wants to perform defense expenditure firmly. There is not yet a definitive agreement, but it is in any case the intention to raise the defense budget as quickly as possible to 2 percent of the gross domestic product.
Part of the extra money must therefore also benefit the ADIV intelligence service. The current workforce, consisting of a thousand people, would be raised considerably. « I would like to see a doubling by 2040. That is very ambitious. But that seems necessary to further develop the different parts of the organization correctly, » says Major General Stéphane Dutron, the CEO of ADIV, to Belga.
Dutron points out that the various conflicts and wars require more work from the intelligence service. In addition, there is also a « hybrid war and cyber threat, which is constantly going on ». « That requires great maneuverability. »
Major General Stéphane Dutron. – © Belga
ADIV is currently already recruiting new people. « Finding motivated people will succeed through the recruitment campaigns that we are currently carrying, » says Dutron. « We can recruit staff in all parts of the organization. » But at the same time the service also clashes with its limits. « Because at a certain moment we must also be able to train people and offer shelter. » The intelligence service therefore also makes work of additional office space.
The expansion of ADIV is independent of the policy of US President Donald Trump, who believes that Europe should from now on caps its own beans on a military level. « That is not changing for me at the moment. We still have particularly good contacts with the intelligence world in the US, » emphasizes Dutron. « That support is still insured. »
« That does not mean that it is time to think about our dependence on America in certain domains. I think the arrival of Trump is a wake-up call for Europe. We must see that as an opportunity to ensure that we have the necessary resources in Europe, in all domains. »
