Military of Luxembourg
| Military of Luxembourg |
|
|---|---|
| Service branches | Army |
| Leadership | |
| Commander-in-Chief | Henri, Grand Duke of Luxembourg |
| Minister for Defence | Jean-Louis Schiltz |
| Available for military service |
110,867 males, age 17-49 (2005 est.), 108,758 females, age 17-49 (2005 est.) |
| Fit for military service |
90,279 males, age 17-49 (2005 est.), 88,638 females, age 17-49 (2005 est.) |
| Reaching military age annually |
2,775 males (2005 est.), 2,703 females (2005 est.) |
| Expenditures | |
| Percent of GDP | 0.9% (2005) |
The military of Luxembourg consists of a solitary branch: the army, which was formerly commanded by a colonel, but as of 2008 is commanded by a general; Luxembourg has no navy or air force. The army has been an all-volunteer force since 1967.[1] It has a current strength of approximately 450 professional soldiers, about 340 enlisted recruits and 100 civilians, and a total budget of $120 million. The army is under civilian control. The Commander-in-Chief is the Grand Duke, but day-to-day responsibility for defence matters is vested in the Minister for Defence, currently Jean-Louis Schiltz (since February 23 2006),[2] under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Immigration.
Luxembourg has participated in the Eurocorps since 1994, has contributed troops to the UNPROFOR and IFOR missions in former Yugoslavia, and participates with a small contingent in the current NATO SFOR mission in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The Luxembourg army is integrated into the Multinational Beluga Force under Belgian command. Luxembourg troops have also deployed to Afghanistan to support ISAF. Luxembourg has financially supported international peacekeeping missions during the 1991 Gulf War, in Rwanda and, more recently, Albania. The army also has participated in humanitarian relief missions such as setting up refugee camps for Kurds and providing emergency supplies to Albania.
Military branches: Army (the Gendarmerie was merged into the Grand Ducal Police in 2000)
Contents |
Luxembourg Army
The army of Luxembourg has four main combat formations which come under the control of the Centre Militaire:
Compagnie A
Compagnie A is the first of two rifle companies - it forms the Luxembourg contingent of the Eurocorps. The company is organised into four platoons - there is the HQ platoon, an anti-tank platoon equipped with TOW, and a pair of rifle platoons.
Compagnie B
Compagnie B is the educational unit of the army, providing various educational courses for personnel to take in preparation for advancement. In order to attend L'Ecole de l'Armee, a soldier must have at least 18 months of service. The School is divided into two sections:
- Level B - this is open for all soldiers at the end of their first 18 months of service. Soldiers follow two six-month periods of tuition in both general and military based subjects prior to taking examinations. Upon gaining 75% pass marks, they can proceed to the next level.
- Level A - Level A is open to soldiers who have achieved the required passes at Level B, or who have gained the equivalent in civilian life prior to their enlistment. Soldiers do a single six-month period of tuition in the same subjects as Level B, but for longer each week.
Compagnie Commandement et Instruction
The Compagnie Commandement et Instruction is the main military training unit of the Luxembourg Army, with instruction given in:
- Basic soldiering
- Driving
- Physical training
The Company is also responsible for the army's Elite Sports Section - this is for sportsmen who choose to join the army. Following their basic training, they join the Section de Sports d'Elite de l'Armée (SSEA).
Compagnie D
Compagnie D is the second rifle company - it provides the Luxembourg contingent to NATO as the Luxembourg Reconnaissance Company of the AMF(L). As a rifle company, it mirrors Compagnie A in organisation, with HQ, anti-tank and rifle platoons.
Equipment
Personal firearms
- Browning Hi-Power 9 mm pistol (Service pistol)
- Steyr AUG 5.56 mm rifle (Service rifle)
- Steyr AUG HBAR 5.56 mm automatic rifle
- FN MAG 7.62 mm machine-gun,
- M2 Browning Machine Gun .50 calibre
Anti-tank weapons and artillery
- M72 Light Anti-tank Weapon (LAW)
- BGM-71 TOW missiles
- 105 mm howitzer (bored up 25 pdr.) for ceremonial purposes
Vehicles
- HMMWV vehicles, armoured and unarmoured (including 24 armoured M1114 HMMWV)
- Mercedes Jeeps, 300D version. (1st generation Mercedes-Benz G-Class version)
- MAN 4T trucks
Aircraft
The government of Luxembourg has ordered 1 Airbus A400M transport aircraft in cooperation with the Belgian Air Component.
The 20 aircraft of the NATO AEW Force are all registered to Luxembourg and based at the NATO Air Base Geilenkirchen:
- 3 NATO Trainer Cargo Aircraft (TCA), modified Boeing 707-320Cs[3]
- 17 Boeing E-3A AWACS[3]
Communications equipment
- HF: AN/GRC-106TA, VRC-620
- VHF: AN/GRC-160, AN/VRC-46, AN/PRC-77, PRC-613
- UHF: PRC-660T, URC-240T
In fiction
In the Season 3 episode A Full Rich Day on the television series M*A*S*H, the major plot involves the missing body of a Luxembourgian officer, Lieutenant LeClerq, of the Belgo-Luxembourg Battalion during the Korean War. In reality, Luxembourg suffered two killed in action and two wounded in action during the war.[4]
Prominent Luxembourg soldier
Tessy Antony, born 1985, is among the more prominent former members of Luxembourg's military. From March to July 2004 she took part in a mission in Yugoslavia, in Mitrovica within KFOR, the NATO peacekeeping force in Kosovo. In 2006 she married Prince Louis of Luxembourg, and is styled Tessy de Nassau, having attained an NCO rank before leaving the military.
Footnotes
- ↑ (French) "Mémorial A, 1967, No. 43" (PDF). Service central de législation. Retrieved on 2006-09-11.
- ↑ (French) "Mémorial A, 2006, No. 33" (PDF). Service central de législation. Retrieved on 2006-09-06.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 NATO military aviation OrBat
- ↑ "Luxembourg Army History". National Museum of Military History. Retrieved on 2007-06-20.
External links
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