In wartime in Europe the Soviet Army would have driven straight for the Rhine River and then the Channel ports in Belgium and the Netherlands. Keeping the English Channel and the ports of Rotterdam, Antwerp, Zeebrugge and others clear of mines was a defence priority for NATO as reinforcement from Britain and America would have largely come through them. Belgium would also have been fairly conscious of the importance of keeping the English Channel open as it was overrun fairly rapidly by the Germans in both world wars, and the Soviets threat had replace the German one and wasn't that far away either in East Germany. Belgium was never much of a naval power so building a fleet of mainly cheap minesweepers made sense to them as it was useful to NATO, and Belgium could spend more on their army and air force.
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