Nearly a week before the official festivities, the first act of National Day took place in Diekirch on Wednesday. The parade through the garrison town carried a symbolic weight for Army Chief of Staff Steve Thull, who, after nearly 40 years in the army, will retire at the end of September.
At the ceremony, soldiers presented themselves in their new uniforms. As part of the planned bi-national battalion with Belgium, the Luxembourg army is now wearing the Belgian field uniform.
In her speech, Defence Minister Yuriko Backes underlined that Luxembourg is taking on its share of military responsibility and that the country's contribution is recognised on the international stage. International cooperation and contributions to security within the NATO framework were at the heart of the addresses.
The ceremony came to a traditional close with the military parade along Rue de Stavelot. On Sunday, the dress rehearsal for the major National Day military parade will take place, and on Thursday, a test flight of the A400M military transport aircraft is planned, with the aircraft set to pass at low altitude over the capital at around 1pm.
