44 b. The Luxembourg Army The mission of Luxembourg’s armed forces is clearly set out in the legal framework. Engagement of the armed forces aims to prevent conflict situations or to put an end to them. In the current international context, and in the framework of our foreign and security policy, the relevance of the role of competent and professional Luxembourg armed forces is obvious. The armed forces’ personnel is the human face of our action abroad in operations, and their deployment, with the risks inherent to presence in a conflict zone, is the ultimate demonstration of our solidarity and risk sharing – its value is immeasurable. The armed forces’ personnel must be able to face these challenges in the best possible conditions, with the necessary equipment, leadership, instruction and training that are essential for their safety and for effective deployment. This entails not only investments in more technology-oriented capabilities but also the provision of comprehensive, modern and up-to-date equipment at every moment and for each soldier, for his or her everyday needs. The armed forces will also take care to preserve and expand its social role, which remains a priority objective for our armed forces and our country. An analysis will be conducted to identify avenues for improving this social role (more career prospects, varied and interesting duties, training opportunities, etc.). Luxembourg’s armed forces must be capable of responding at any time to national requirements and of participating in crisis management missions and in collective defence and stability projection actions. Improving responsiveness (speed of deployment) and participating in rapid reaction groupings are also key challenges. The number and the nature of military deployments has been changing for several years and has come to involve more than just exercises and peacekeeping operations. The armed forces have already adapted its internal structures to enable Luxembourg to ensure a military presence where necessary, in a manner commensurate with its resources. Luxembourg’s international deployments will continue, but may change in nature: sending small, dedicated teams into the field to deploy an essential capability (e.g. satellite communications) or providing a team of data analysts can be just as relevant, strategic and visible as mobilizing a whole platoon. The armed forces will develop new skills and acquire know-how and a high level of professionalism in new domains. They will continue to deploy military personnel in crisis management exercises and operations, in line with policy decisions. Luxembourg’s armed forces will continue to develop coherent, relevant, effective and useful capabilities in the context of our partnerships and will acquire the technical competence required to employ those capabilities. The armed forces evolution cannot be dissociated from the evolution of the budget and capabilities of the Luxembourg De- fence. Thanks to the new defence structures, the Defence Directorate and the Army Staff will cooperate closely in capability planning, development and investment. Each capability project will entail an analysis of its implementation, performed either directly by the Luxembourg armed forces or in partnership with national or international players. This analysis will, in particular, take into account policy priorities and human resources requirements/availability. The reinforcement of the capability pillars has already been taken into account in the new organizational chart of the Defence Directorate and Army Staff. The army will maintain its role as a ground force within the Land Component, but its tasks will evolve in the other fields of action described above, in particular air, space and cyber. To this end, the armed forces will organize their forces such as to perform their current tasks and take on new ones. The land army will thus accentuate its evolution towards an armed force with joint capabilities. The Air Component, currently in its infancy, will be developed to take account of the capability developments described above. Competencies will also be developed in the medical area, to help complete the military medicine project currently in preparation. The Cyber Cell will continue working on the defence aspects of national and international strategies and will be further developed. The armed forces will assist in advancing defence in the direction of high-tech-oriented capabilities, while sustaining its societal role. Beyond investments and acquisitions, and in addition to internal reorganization and the evolution of the Luxembourg Defence, a central and vital concern needs to be addressed: the diversification and extension of the armed forces’ tasks and competencies cannot be effected without diversifying and augmenting its human resources.