Directorate of Defence

Canada and Luxembourg growing closer - growing stronger.

Minister Yuriko Backes welcomed her colleague, Minister of National Defence of Canada David McGuinty in Luxembourg.

This is the very first visit of a member of the federal government of Canda to Luxembourg. One and a half year after Luxembourg opened its first embassy in Canada. A testament to our ever growing friendship and transatlantic bond.

Especially in light of a more challenging geopolitical landscape, in times where great power politics are on the rise, like-minded Allies, sharing interest must join forces.

💬 ❝I know that Europe can count on Canada as a reliable and committed ally, standing
with us in collective defence since the founding of NATO. Your contribution to European security, not least through deployments on the Alliance’s eastern flank, strengthens our collective security.❞ - Yuriko Backes

❝A stronger Europe & Luxembourg for a stronger NATO❞

NATO Ministers of Defence met in Brussels to prepare the upcoming Summit in Ankara and to discuss burden sharing, the NATO Force Model and delivering on the financial commitments of last year’s summit commitments.

💬 Luxembourg will fully assume its responsibilities, and we support the ambition for a stronger Europe within a stronger NATO. Predictability and a realistic timetable are essential. The gradual reduction of US armed forces and capabilities in Europe must be accompanied by a proportionate strengthening of European defence capabilities, in order to avoid any critical gaps in collective defence - Yuriko Backes

Luxembourg is present at 2026 🪖in Paris, the world’s largest international land and air-land defense and security exhibition.

Today, Minister of Defence Yuriko Backes, Minister of the Economy Lex Delles and the CEO of the Chambre de Commerce Luxembourg Carlo Thelen opened the national Pavilion, featuring more than 20 Luxembourg companies active in security and defence.

Minister Yuriko Backes presented the latest update of the catalogue, published for the first time in a fully digital format by the national innovation agency Luxinnovation, in close collaboration with the Directorate of Defence. The catalogue lists 122 companies and research organisations offering services and/or products developed or manufactured in Luxembourg that are of interest to the security and defence sector.

At the exhibition, Ministers also met with key partners of Luxembourg Defence to discuss current and future collaboration.

Collective security relies on strong partnerships

During a working visit of Minister of Defence of Lithuania in Luxembourg, Ministers .kaunas and discussed European defence readiness, NATO, military support to Ukraine, the situation in the Middle East, bilateral defence cooperation and the growing role of space in Defence.

Lithuania is a close Ally and trusted partner of Luxembourg. Currently, 7 .armei soldiers are contributing to the NATO Multinational Battlegroup of in Lithuania.

Lithuania was the first user of the GovSat-1 🛰️ capability, the first communications satellite of the public-private joint venture of and the Luxembourg Government. With the signature ✍️ of a Letter of Intent both Ministers confirmed their ambition to elevate the already existing cooperation to a new level.

As part of this new cooperation framework, Luxembourg Defence will continue to provide GovSat-1 capacities to Lithuania, and a future contribution of LUXEOSys Earth Observation imagery will be examined once system operational.

Both Ministers also visited the SES and LuxGovSat Headquarters in Betzdorf.

Finally, they met with Members of the Parliamentary Committees on Defence, Foreign Affairs and the Delegation of Luxembourg to the NATO Parliamentary Assembly.

📸 SIP / Claude Piscitelli
📸 MAE

Méi Investitiounen an eis Defense bis 2029 - Eng néideg Äntwert an engem schwierege Kontext

An Zäite vu multiple Krisen, mat enger Rei Kricher a Konflikter, mat engem ganz ugespaanten a volatile geopolitesche Kontext, ass et essentiel, dass mir an déi national, europäesch an transatlantesch Sécherheet an Defense investéieren.

Dofir wäert Lëtzebuerg progressiv a klenge Schrëtt bis 2029 méi a seng Defense investéieren. D’Ministesch Backes huet haut de Plang an der Chamber presentéiert.

Iwwert déi nächst 3 Joer wäert de Lëtzebuerger Effort de défense graduell all Joer ëm 0,1% vum RNB an d’Luucht goen. Vun haut 2% op 2,3% bis 2029.

Eng konsequent Investitioun an eis national Defense an an ee méi staarkt Europa. Et geet drëms credibel Kapazitéiten op d’Been ze stellen déi zur Verteidegung vun eisem Land, an och zur kollektiver Defense, bäidroen.

Nieft de klore Schwéierpunkte vum binationale Batailloun, deen eis Arméi mat der Belsch opbaue wäert, an der Loftverdeedegung a Rakéitenofwier, wäerte mir a konkret Projeten investéieren, déi eis Wirtschaft stäerken an Aarbechtsplaze schafen – zum Beispill am Space oder Cyber. A mat engem Fokus op Recherche an Developpment wäerte mir an Zukunftstechnologien investéieren.

E weidere wichtege Pilier vun eisen Investitioune bleift d’militäresch Ënnerstëtzung vun der Ukrain. Eis an hir Sécherheet si ganz direkt liéiert.

Enhancing European Defence Readiness.

Today, Minister of Defence Yuriko Backes was in Brussels for a session of the Foreign Affairs Council on Defence.

EU Defence Ministers, together with their Ukrainian colleague Fedorov via videocall, discussed the implementation of the €90 billion Ukraine Support Loan and enhanced EU-Ukraine defence industrial cooperation.

On European Defence Readiness, Luxembourg welcomes the EU initiatives to ramp up the European defence industrial and technological base and progress on the military Schengen package.

At the European Defence Agency Steering Board, ahead of the FAC Defence, Minister Backes expressed Luxembourg’s full support to scale up the Agency, which has become a key driver in capability development, research and technology in the defence sector.

💬 ❝For the past two years, Luxembourg has been the biggest EU contributor to EDA Research & Technology related activities. We believe that R&T supports long-term capability preparedness and enables Europe to anticipate, rather than follow, global defence technology developments.❞