54 soldiers sworn in to Luxembourg Army;
Credit: EMA
On Friday 20 April 2018, the Luxembourg army gathered in Mersch for the 30th passing out parade of new recruits, this time with no less that 54 young soldiers having passed their training.
In the presence of Luxembourg's Secretary of State for Defence, Francine Closener, the volunteer soldiers, thirteen of whom are Portuguese nationals, one of Italian nationality, one of German nationality and one of Dutch nationality, were sworn in. Of the 54, five were female soldiers.
This ceremony marks the completion of the four-month basic training for volunteer soldiers. This phase is intended to prepare recruits for their military training, which continues for 36 months in total. Of a total of 78 recruits, 54 successfully completed basic training, corresponding to a success rate of 69%.
In her speech, Secretary of State Closener said: "Despite the modernisation of defence by means of new technologies, human capital remains the fundamental element of the Luxembourg army. This is why the investments made in the context of the gradual increase of our defence effort must first and foremost support our soldiers in their missions, while at the same time guaranteeing their personal safety. At the same time, new scientific and academic careers are being developed within the Luxembourgish army, addressing a much more varied and specialised profile that we wish to attract with an adapted recruitment strategy".
On the occasion of this ceremony, recognition medals were awarded to the Luxembourg members of the KFOR 50, KFOR 51, KFOR 52, eFP-01 and EUTM Mali 13 contingents; as well as foreign military members deployed in 2017 and 2018.
