Following various requests from Ukraine and given the developments in Ukraine, Defence Minister Francois Bausch decided to provide lethal and non-lethal equipment as well as logistical support and a financial contribution, but also to increase the military forces in Lithuania within the framework of the reinforced NATO forward presence. Luxembourg will send 100 NLAW (Next Generation Light Anti-Tank Weapon) anti-tank weapons, Jeep Wrangler 4×4 and military tents to Ukraine, the Minister of Defence said in a statement on Monday.
Luxembourg is also offering allied countries transport capacities on board its A400M military transport plane and chartered aircraft. As a member of the Multi-Role Tanker Transport (MRTT) programme and together with the other member countries, Luxembourg is currently providing NATO with air-to-air refuelling capabilities for an operation aimed at protecting Allied airspace for the duration of ongoing operations. In addition, the Directorate of Defence offers allied countries the capacity to transport military or humanitarian material via its A400M aircraft or its service contract with the company Cargolux.
Since 2016, NATO has established four multinational battle groups in Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland, based on the principle of rotation within the framework of Enhanced Forward Presence (eFP). The Luxembourg army is currently present in Lithuania with four soldiers providing transport capability within the Battle Group. Two additional troops were deployed to Lithuania on Monday morning to reinforce the Luxembourg presence, bringing the number of Luxembourg troops in Lithuania to six.
The NLAW (Next Generation Light Anti-Tank Weapon) is a joint Swedish and British short-range fire-and-forget anti-tank missile system. In Swedish service, the missile is designated RB-57 (Robot 57). Designed for use by infantry, the NLAW is shoulder-fired and disposable, firing once before being disposed of. It is a soft-launch system, allowing it to be used by infantry from within an enclosed space. It is currently in use with the military forces of the United Kingdom, Indonesia, Finland, Luxembourg, Ukraine, and Sweden, among others.