Steve Thull Named New Chief of Defence

The Directorate of Defence today announced the appointment of Lieutenant Colonel Steve Thull as Luxembourg's future Chief of Defence. 

On the proposal of the Minister of Defence and after consulting His Royal Highness the Grand Duke, the Cabinet decided at its meeting today to entrust the post of Chief of Staff of Luxembourg's Army to Lieutenant Colonel Steve Thull from 29 September 2020, replacing General Alain Duschène who claimed his pension rights. Lieutenant Colonel Steve Thull will thus bear the title of general.

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence, François Bausch, has expressed gratitude to General Alain Duschène for his 42 years of army service, including the last three years as Chief of Staff.

Lieutenant Colonel Steve Thull was chosen from among army colonels and lieutenant colonels on the basis of a two-stage internal selection process, which began in October 2019. He is 52 years old and is married with three children.

Commenting on this selection, Luxembourg's Minister of Defence presented his desire to introduce a generational change in the command of the army. Minister Bausch said: "I chose Lieutenant-Colonel Steve Thull in order to orient the army towards the future and to redefine the mission of the army in the face of contemporary security challenges in Luxembourg and in the world. I see Lieutenant Colonel Steve Thull as a soldier, capable of modernising the army, while taking into consideration the dimension of new security dangers, such as the risks linked to climate change or cyber defense, essential for any future military planning".

Lieutenant Colonel Steve Thull will have the opportunity to prepare for his new functions in the coming months and will be associated with the modernisation of the army, infrastructures, equipment and the accentuation of the social role of the army. Particular attention will be paid to the integration of female soldiers into the army and to communication inside and outside the army.

Lieutenant Colonel Steve Thull trained as an officer candidate at the Royal Military Academy of Brussels from 1987 to 1991 and was appointed lieutenant on 1 October 1991. From 2006 to 2007, Lieutenant Colonel Steve Thull followed a higher military education cycle in Paris. He was a mortar platoon leader, anti-tank platoon leader and scout platoon leader before becoming company commander. He then assumed various staff functions including those of army personnel and public relations officer, deputy commander of the Military Center, assistant officer to army studies and planning officer and finally to officiate army information and communication systems. His current tasks include the operational planning and implementation of information and communication systems on which the military depends to conduct exercises and operations, cyber defence and the security of information and communication systems.

Lieutenant Colonel Steve Thull participated in the NATO IFOR mission in Bosnia and Herzegovina and in the EUFOR mission in Chad and the Central African Republic.