The Cold War-era complex hosting NATO’s top commanders and planners in Mons, Belgium, is expected to get a brand-new building by 2030.
The construction of the new facility for the Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe is set to begin in May 2026. SHAPE, as it’s known in the military alliance, is where senior officials coordinate operations and plan for defence and deterrence.
Concretely, the team in Wallonia is tasked with preparing for war with Russia.
But the site has barely changed since it was built in 1967 – and a lot has happened since then. Computers and advanced technology have become an integral part of military planning and NATO has expanded eastward, brining in more than 15 new members.
While top brass and diplomats working in NATO’s main headquarters to the north of Brussels enjoy the modern conveniences of a €1 billion brand-new building, including a gym and a shopping centre, those working at SHAPE are still working with facilities originally designed to be a temporary stopgap.
The site was thrown up in the 1960s, when NATO relocated from France. The move followed Paris’ withdrawal from the Alliance’s military structures in protest over US dominance on the agenda.
Since then, military mandarins have made do with the ageing infrastructure – until December last year, when NATO members approved funding for the long-overdue new war command hub.
The green light came after 10 years spent fixing the requirements for all things inside the buildings, from size to security.
The current complex “has exceeded life expectancy” and “SHAPE needs new and modern facilities in order to be able to operate effectively going forward,” a spokesperson for the organisation told Euractiv.
The new home of the military alliance’s top commanders will cost around €800 million, the only figure formally signed off by the members so far.
The price tag does not include other necessary costs, such as a new communication and information system estimated at €110 million, as well as transition activities, parking spaces, and more.
The overhaul isn’t just a physical move. Transitioning from one building to the next will be “more than just relocating personnel,” the spokesperson said. “It involves adapting SHAPE’s processes and procedures to take full advantage of the modern infrastructure,” which can take around two years.
Re-designing the HQ is a lengthy process, which initially started in 2013. Authorities in Belgium are planning to end construction by May 2030, a SHAPE spokesperson told Euractiv.
However, it will only be completed by May 2033, the source said, once the old buildings are demolished and turned into parking spaces.
(mm, jp)