(L-R) Lieutenant General Thomas Süssli, Chief of the Armed Forces of Switzerland; General Steve Thull, Luxembourg's Chief of Defence; Credit: © Armée Luxembourgeoise

On Friday 12 September 2025, General Steve Thull, Luxembourg's Chief of Defence, received Lieutenant General Thomas Süssli, Chief of the Armed Forces of Switzerland, with military honours, as part of the latter's two-day official visit to the Grand Duchy.

The meetings focused on current international issues, as well as the operations and challenges of the two armies and ongoing capability projects. For the Luxembourg Army, this notably means the implementation of the future Belgian-Luxembourg medium combat reconnaissance battalion. The establishment of this battalion is part of NATO's new military concept aimed at promoting deterrence and defence within the Euro-Atlantic area and the joint participation of all allies in this effort. New capability projects in the field of integrated air and missile defence will be added in 2025.

Lieutenant General Süssli and his delegation had the opportunity to witness the ongoing transformation of the Luxembourg Army. This includes infrastructure renovations, the transition of reconnaissance unit vehicles from the Protected Reconnaissance Vehicle (PRV) based on the Dingo 2 to the Command, Liaison and Reconnaissance Vehicle (CLRV) based on the Eagle 5 (from Switzerland), and the replacement of the Austrian Steyr AUG assault rifle with the German HK416 assault rifle.

The Luxembourg and Swiss Armed Forces have maintained fruitful cooperation since 2006, and shooting training is part of this long-standing collaboration. The Luxembourg Army added that bilateral cooperation has been extended in recent years to the cyber domain. Today, military personnel from both countries are working side by side in Kosovo as part of NATO's Kosovo Force (KFOR) mission.

The Luxembourg Army reported that there was considerable interest in strengthening cooperation in the field of cybersecurity and cyber defence, an essential area for modern militaries in the face of current and emerging threats. Strengthening cyber cooperation is based on the agreement between the Government of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg and the Swiss Federal Council on the Reciprocal Protection and Exchange of Classified Information, signed in July 2025.

Lieutenant General Süssli's visit included a stop at the Luxembourg House of Cybersecurity (LHC), a key national player in the field of cybersecurity. The LHC is developing innovative tools for the secure sharing of information on cyberattacks, an important element in strengthening the national cyber posture. The intensification of cooperation in the cyber domain will take the form of pooling expertise, equipment and training, with the aim of increasing collective resilience to cyberthreats, according to the Luxembourg Army.