© RTL
On Wednesday, the Luxembourg Armed Forces commemorated their traditional celebration of Martin the Merciful, the patron saint of the army.
The future missions of the Grand Duchy’s Armed Forces will be manifold and take place on land, air, space, and cyberspace. To complete these new challenges, the army needs personnel, training, and equipment. The force is currently made up of 1,031 soldiers and civilians, out of whom 131 are women. At present, soldiers are deployed in Iraq, Mali, and Lithuania.
Military chaplain Nicolas Werner spoke during Wednesday’s ceremony: “We are living the biggest crisis since World War II. Every war is a failure of humanity, a surrender to the forces of evil. Evil triumphs when good people stand by and watch without interfering. Similar to climate change, we are failing.”
An army’s greatest capital are motivated and satisfied soldiers, of whom Luxembourg will need more in the future, further noted the chaplain. For example, 350 men and women will be needed for the new bi-national battalion of Luxembourg and Belgium.
Minister of Defence François Bausch was also present at the ceremony and explained that the key to a successful recruitment campaign lies in the prospect of opportunities: “To succeed we need the proper legal frame, which has been forwarded to the Council of State. … I hope to soon receive an opinion on that. … Furthermore, the army has to actively communicate and show its diverse opportunities.”
Although a modern army cannot stand still, it is also important to remember traditions. Wednesday’s ceremony was therefore used to also honour the achievements of individual army members, notably Lieutnant Manoni, who graduated from her four-year-long spell at the Military Academy as top of her class.