Small European states are determined to remain useful to NATO. Yesterday, June 17, portal luxtimes.lu he said that Luxembourg and Belgium are going to form a joint army battalion.
This project should increase Luxembourg's contribution to NATO and increase the country's defense spending, which is required by membership in the military alliance.
Luxembourg soldiers on parade
Image source: luxtimes.lu
It is planned that the combined forces will focus on "medium-intensity" reconnaissance missions. This means that the unit will be allowed to operate in "hostile zones". Luxembourg is one of the countries with the lowest defense spending in NATO, equivalent to about 0.6% of GDP. It is planned that by 2024 this figure will increase to 0.72%.
In February, Luxembourg's parliament voted in favor of laws to increase the country's recruitment and defense spending to meet spending targets set by NATO. Luxembourg, together with Belgium, already operates the Airbus A400M transport aircraft. The country has also recently increased its military spending on satellite communications, space and cybersecurity, and invested in a NATO project to refuel aircraft in the air.
