38 ganized, instructed and trained. We have made short and medium-term commitments in the context of the NATO Defence Planning Process (NDPP). However these commitments already point towards a new direction, and the Luxembourg Defence has commenced planning in the light of future developments. *** In terms of capability investments and the organization of its army, the Luxembourg Defence organization will focus on ISR, a domain of action in which existing expertise can be built on and which resonates with competencies in a number of fields that are key for our country: communications, information, the satellite industry and data management. In general, the Luxembourg Defence will continue to recommend the development of support and sustainment capabilities whose implementation will take account of both the structural parameters of our armed forces and of the national and European technological and industrial base. In particular, the Luxembourg Defence advocates capabilities that are relevant in the broadest possible range of situations, be it security crises, natural disaster impact management or humanitarian crises such as large-scale migratory movements. ISR capabilities help to provide enhanced situational awareness in such varied circumstances and are thus essential for civilian and military decision-makers, particularly for the protection of deployed forces. Timely provision of adequate information improves the quality of decision-making and allows action to be taken in an appropriate, targeted and measured fashion, avoiding exposure to risk and unnecessary harm while using available resources to the best possible effect. A capability is far more than a material asset. It covers not only equipments but also competent personnel – instructed and trained in their use – together with an organization and infrastructure for their sustainment. The types of capabilities used by the armed forces and the conditions for their use are a matter of sovereign, national policy choices. Our capability development is guided by national political priorities, NATO defence planning and the EU capability development process. Our key partnerships provide the context for operational deployment. The purpose of developing military capabilities is to provide Luxembourg with a range of options for contributing to missions and operations with more varied, technological and up-to-date equipment. The goal is to have tools that are deployable – by the Luxembourg army, or with international partners, or through contractual arrangements with private-sector partners – in support of international military deployments. The increased defence effort associated with a greater assumption of responsibility on the part of Europe in the area of security and defence must be reflected in terms of actual relevance: capabilities that are relevant in the context of missions and operations, services that are relevant to national requirements, and economic relevance through the development of a Defence Technological and Industrial Base generating employment and driving research and innovation. Thus, within its means, Luxembourg contributes to eliminating critical European capability shortfalls, for instance through the establishment of a European air-to-air-refuelling capability. Luxembourg’s participation in the Alliance Ground Surveillance (AGS) programme and the launch of a Government communications satellite both contribute to meeting critical strategic requirements in the field of communications and observation and to consolidating technological know-how in this field in Luxembourg.