Credit: Ali Sahib, Chronicle.lu
On Sunday 13 July 2025, the Luxembourg Army held an open day at the Grand Duke Jean Barracks in Härebierg (Diekirch), where approximately 17,000 people took the opportunity to discover the site and learn about the Luxembourg Army.
The event, attended by Hereditary Grand Duke Guillaume and Luxembourg’s Minister of Defence, Yuriko Backes, provided an opportunity for Chief of Defence of the Luxembourg Army, General Steve Thull, and Commander of the Forces, Colonel Alain Schoeben, to demonstrate the new operational capabilities, recent technological innovations and the expertise of Luxembourg’s armed forces.
Throughout the day, live demonstrations showcased tactical manoeuvres and military equipment in action and included a number of flyovers involving aircraft from the integrated Belgian-Luxembourg binational unit of the 15th Air Transport Wing of the Belgian Defence and the Belgian Air Force.
Throughout the day, visitors were given the opportunity to explore the capabilities of the Luxembourg Army, including its vehicles, drones, weapons and communications systems, as well as its sniper capabilities, the Fire Support Team and the military police. These included the Luxembourg army’s new armoured vehicles - Jaguar, Griffon and Serval - medium‑range anti‑tank missiles, Command Liaison and Reconnaissance vehicles and Heckler & Koch assault rifles.
Amongst the stands open to visitors included one dedicated to the close cooperation between the Luxembourg Army and the French and Belgian armed forces, which offered a glimpse into the technological advances of equipment and the modernisation of collaborative combat.
Visitors also had the opportunity to explore potential career paths in the army through a variety of interactive stands and workshops highlighting the daily life of military personnel.
In an official press release the Luxembourg Army said it is “preparing to meet both present and future challenges by fully playing its part in collective deterrence and defence efforts alongside its allied partners, in the context of an increasingly tense global geopolitical environment and a rise in defence commitments across all NATO countries”. They added that this currently involves joint training with allies and participation in NATO’s multinational battlegroups deployed in Lithuania and Romania, with preparations underway for the establishment of a future binational Belgian-Luxembourgish medium reconnaissance combat battalion.
