[6] 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.
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.
[9] 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.
[10] On 26 August 2017, a man was shot in the center of Brussels on the Boulevard Émile Jacqmain, after attacking a military patrol with a knife, wounding one of the soldiers.
A few days after the attack on 28 August 2017, the General Staff of the army Marc Thys, announced that the military will continue their patrols on the street, at least until 2021.