A few months ago, the Walloon Government launched the Defence Task Force to step up efforts to position Wallonia as a key player in the defence industry. This initiative is based on three pillars: innovation, strategic partnerships and European positioning.
Today, at a working meeting bringing together Minister-President Adrien Dolimont, Minister Pierre-Yves Jeholet, the CEOs of seven Walloon companies active in defence, Wallonie Entreprendre and Agoria Wallonie, the Region is taking stock of the actions undertaken and launching new initiatives to strengthen the collective momentum.
A collective momentum in the service of industrial sovereignty
Wallonia is at the heart of Belgium's defence industry:
• €1.8 billion in turnover and 4,000 jobs in Wallonia (out of €2 billion and 4,800 jobs in Belgium).
• A sector that goes beyond military production: it encompasses artificial intelligence solutions, cybersecurity, technological innovation, advanced materials and medical technologies.
Meeting Belgian and European needs
Wallonia is working closely with the Federal Government to ensure a coherent approach that benefits each entity.
The goal: to secure a significant share of the new resources from Defence's new strategic vision and direct these investments towards innovative projects, while strengthening Walloon companies' access to European projects.
Innovation: strategic choices for the future
Wallonia and the main Walloon defence players have identified a series of priority innovation themes for the Walloon defence ecosystem, with a view to specialisation and scaling up activities in the land, air, space and industrial transformation domains (examples: anti-drone warfare, AI and detection, autonomous vehicles, development of future munitions, cybersecurity, etc.)
Strengthening the subcontracting chain
The Task Force consulted 65 companies (mostly SMEs).
Findings:
• Companies are ready but held back by shortages in engineering and technical professions and a lack of robustness to support substantial investments
• Need for funding for demonstrators and interactions with major contractors.
Action points:
• Leverage the leadership of the Majors to boost the entire ecosystem.
• Facilitate contacts with Belgian and foreign contractors.
• Strengthen the maturity of players to take part in European programmes.
• Support the development of cybersecurity and AI
• Strengthen participation in European comitology and NATO.
Jobs and training: planning ahead so as not to slow growth
Defence is now a strategic sector, embraced and supported by all. This success brings significant workforce needs. We must anticipate these needs to prevent growth from being slowed by a shortage of talent.
The people of Wallonia have the skills to make this sector a leading technological pillar, provided they are trained.
From 2026, Wallonia will roll out:
• Defence Opportunity Meetings to attract talent and promote careers in the sector.
• Targeted actions against shortages in critical professions (engineers, electromechanics, welding).
• Mobilisation of competence centres to adapt training pathways to companies' needs.
• Specific HR schemes in partnership with companies to speed up skills development.
Adrien Dolimont, Minister-President of Wallonia: “In an uncertain geopolitical context, Wallonia must remain a strong and united player. This meeting illustrates our commitment to working together, public authorities, companies and partners, to strengthen the subcontracting chain and position Wallonia in major European programmes. We are working closely with the Federal Government, because Wallonia has every asset needed to secure a significant share of the DIRS plan's resources and contribute to its success.”
Pierre-Yves Jeholet, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Industry: “With the Defence Task Force, we have made clear choices and set priorities for the future: innovation, strategic partnerships and European positioning. These projects involve, among other things, cutting-edge technologies such as artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, anti-drone warfare and autonomous vehicles. But this development can only succeed if we anticipate skills needs: we must mobilise and train Walloon talent so that our region stays at the forefront.”