Luxembourg’s secretary of state for defence, Francine Closener, attended the swearing-in ceremony for 58 volunteer soldiers at the Roudemer Centre in Steinfort on Friday last,
The 58 recruits have completed four months of basic training, out of an original field of 91. Five Portuguese nationals and four women are among the group that will now go on to the next 36 months of formal military training.
Secretary Closener highlighted the changing role of the army in the future.
"Given the changing challenges both nationally and internationally, we are in the process of defining the new direction of defence policy by tying up the ' Guidelines for Defence Policy 2025+ '. The new orientation will make it possible to respond to the many challenges facing defence at both national and international level in the future, while preserving the social role of the Luxembourg Army,” she said.
During the ceremony, recognition medals were awarded to the Luxembourg members of the KFOR 49 contingents, the European Training Missions (EUTM) in Mali and the Central African Republic, the Resolute Support mission in Afghanistan, and members deployed during the years 2016 and 2017 in Mali, the Central African Republic and Afghanistan. In the same context, a German recognition medal was presented to a Luxembourg military officer.
