On 24 and 25 September 2012, participants attending Senior Course (SC) 121 at the NATO Defense College in Rome began their first Field Study period with a visit to the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg.
Course Members were welcomed by the Grand Duchy’s Chief of Defence, Gen Gaston Reinig. They then met representatives of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA), who briefed them on a number of security issues. LtCol Patrick Fautsch (an Ancien of SC 100) provided a detailed presentation of the Security and Defence Policy of Luxembourg, on behalf of the Ministry’s Defence Directorate. His talk covered the main features of the defence sector reform initiated in 2007. The main objectives of Luxembourg’s current defence policy were summarized as follows:
- to be a reliable partner and add real value to multilateral crisis management;
- to promote a Comprehensive Approach through synergies;
- to participate in the Common Security and Defence Policy, in the best interests of NATO;
- to strengthen the Transatlantic Link, essential to European security.
LtCol Yvon Kries then spoke about the structure, distribution and resources of the Luxembourg Army, also offering an overview of its current contribution to international crisis management missions.
The meeting continued with a speech by Ms Stefanie Wagemans of the Economic Development Directorate, who briefed Course Members on the state of Luxembourg’s industrial and commercial sectors. Final speaker Mr Pierre Goerens then offered his appraisal of the main issues involved in current and future telecommunications security.
The visit ended with an
open discussion, where Course Members were able to discuss a wide range of thought-provoking questions with the speakers.
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