Lt Col Claude Robinet Named Future Chief of Staff of Luxembourg Army

On Friday 6 March 2026, Luxembourg's Directorate of Defence and the Luxembourg Army announced the appointment of Lieutenant Colonel Claude Robinet as the army's next Chief of Staff.

On the proposal of Luxembourg's Minister of Defence, Yuriko Backes, the Government Council (Cabinet) has decided to propose to Grand Duke Guillaume the appointment of Lieutenant Colonel Claude Robinet as the future Chief of Staff of the Luxembourg Army. He will replace General Steve Thull, who will retire on 1 October 2026. Lieutenant Colonel Robinet will be promoted to General on the same date. Until then, General Thull will continue to fulfil his responsibilities.

Minister Backes selected Lieutenant Colonel Robinet following a multi-stage selection process, which began in October 2025. "Transformation is Lieutenant Colonel Robinet's area of ​​responsibility. I am therefore convinced that I have chosen the best candidate, who will pursue the transformation already underway with renewed vigor. His mission is clear: to prepare the Luxembourg Army for the future, taking into account the evolving geopolitical situation, emerging technologies and the evolution of our society," the minister said.

During a handover phase that will begin in the coming weeks, Lieutenant Colonel Robinet will prepare for his future role as Chief of Staff of the Luxembourg Army. According to the authorities, he will lead the army at a time marked by geopolitical upheaval and historic challenges for Luxembourg's defence.

Lieutenant Colonel Claude Robinet is currently Head of the Army's Transformation Department and the national representative to the Belgian Ministry of Defence. He completed his officer candidate training at the Royal Military Academy in Brussels before being commissioned as a lieutenant in 1999. A graduate of the Staff College in Compiègne, France in 2007, he pursued further studies in the United States in 2017. During this advanced military education programme at the National Defense University in Washington, DC, he earned a Master of Science in National Resource Strategy with a specialisation in national security and defense strategy, leadership, resource strategy and industrial studies - robotics and autonomous systems.

Lieutenant Colonel Claude Robinet served with NATO's Kosovo Force (KFOR) in 2002 and with NATO's International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in Afghanistan in 2005 and from 2011 to 2012.

Defence Minister Yuriko Backes thanked General Thull for "his good and loyal service" over four decades in the army. He has served as Chief of Staff since September 2020. In October 2025, he announced his plans to retire.