This combat unit is different - a cut above, as it needs to be ready for action anywhere in Europe within a maximum 72 hour window. In preparation for any sudden deployment, the army has to undertake regular training sessions - also in Luxembourg's forests.
War Games
25 soldiers are on reconnaissance in the forest between Bettendorf and Gilsdorf. Their mission: to collect information about a fictitious enemy who is supposedly regrouping in a barn in Bettendorf.
The most important thing during observations: be invisible, don't be seen. Any sound or movement can detected by the enemy. Even when the soldiers are more than 1,000m away from the object, they need to be careful. That's why the soldiers' observation point is well hidden.
To observe the fictitious enemy who are present on the street in front of the farm, the soldiers need specialised equipment: binoculars, night vision cameras, infra red cameras, etc. Any suspicious activity is recorded for future analysis.
For 17 years, Luxembourgish soldiers were tasked with doing precisely this in Kosovo. The presence of the Luxembourg Army in Kosovo was, however, halted in October 2018.
