Copyright NATO ties, through instruction & training and capability life-cycle management, to operational engagements. The Luxembourg Defence intends to make lasting contributions to highvalue-added elements integrated in a multinational effort. Capabilities held jointly with partners also allow access to alternatives in terms of military responses suited to concrete calls for engagement and to national policy choices. Luxembourg’s armed forces will adopt, from amongst those capabilities, those best matching its evolution. corps level: the “Larger Formations” initiative, in which Luxembourg will take part. For Luxembourg, cooperation with Belgium is founded on a long tradition of joint deployments and links between the members of our Armed Forces, notably because most of the Army’s officers are sent to train in Belgian military schools. Joint exercises and deployments have become the norm. Preserving a strong transatlantic link is crucial. To that end, the Luxembourg Defence is involved in practical cooperation with the United States, particularly in the area of satellites. Luxembourg’s contributions to the European Corps and to the Multinational Joint Headquarters in Ulm will continue to evolve depending on the prospects of relevant contributions in the framework both of the European Union and NATO. Other contributions to a multinational unit could be envisaged. The partnership policy has a far-reaching structuring effect because interoperability constraints necessitate progressive alignment of military requirements, acquisition programme timelines, employment concepts and training. In response to the objection that Luxembourg’s defence apparatus risks losing control of its own future and identity, it can be argued that only by interacting with partners can we master the technicalities of ever more sophisticated capabilities and, above all, leverage our investments through a multiplier effect while ensuring relevant implementation in a coherent host environment provided by our partners. Defence cooperation between the three BENELUX countries has gained renewed momentum since the joint declaration by the Ministers of Defence on 18 April 2012, and this will continue. Several joint projects have already been conducted. There is also a long history of cooperation with Germany and France; this will continue, particularly in the framework of the European Corps, occasionally in the framework of the Franco-German Brigade, and in the area of instruction, training and deployments. In June 2014, the NATO Ministers of Defence approved the Framework Nations Concept (FNC), which originated in a German initiative. Luxembourg was amongst the first to subscribe to the concept. The FNC offers a structured framework allowing participating Allies to implement their common capability goals stemming from NATO defence planning in a coherent manner that allows synergies to be achieved and fully interoperable capabilities to be put in place. Based in particular on FNC cooperation, Germany also intends to provide a land forces formation at army 33