Front row, L-R: James Randolph Evans, US Ambassador to Luxembourg; François Bausch, Deputy PM, Minister of Defence; Steve Thull, Luxembourg Chief of Defence;
Credit: EMA
On Thursday, the Luxembourg Army took stock of its activities for the year 2020 at its traditional year-end event at the Military Centre in Diekirch.
Due to the COVID-19 crisis, the event was held in a small format and in compliance with the health rules in place, in the presence of Luxembourg's Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence, François Bausch, as well as some military and civilian members of the Army. The event was broadcast online via livestream to allow all members of the Army and the public to follow the ceremony. This also allowed the 28 members of the Army currently deployed in missions in Mali, Afghanistan and Lithuania to follow the event.
This year saw the presentation of merit prizes to deserving athletes, including winners of inter-company competitions and military championships.
During his speech, Minister François Bausch thanked the members of the Army for the excellent work they accomplished in 2020, which was a “record year” in terms of Army commitments. In addition to the many missions and assistance that the Army has provided nationally in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, it also started two new overseas deployments this year, including one to support the EU Training Mission (EUTM) in Mali and another with satellite communication capacities to support the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilisation Mission in Mali (MINUSMA).
On the sidelines of the ceremony, the Luxembourg Army also made a donation to the local non-profit organisation Fondation SOLINA Solidarité Jeunes.
