Mission balance of the Austrian Armed Forces 2009
By carrying out their tasks in the course of multiple operations, the Austrian Armed Forces demonstrate their performance-oriented approach and their professionalism. Task accomplishment in operations clearly underlines the contribution of armed forces to operations and defines the baseline for future adjustments.
Operational tasks are, and will be, the essence of the Austrian Armed Forces. Any operation starts with professional planning, continues with extensive preparations, is followed by successful task accomplishment and eventually results in a final after action review.
In 2008 a number of additional tasks supporting the ongoing process of the transition of the Forces had to be managed.
In 2009 the restructuring process of the forces for international operations started, thereby taking into consideration the lessons learned up to that moment.
In continuation of the large variety of operations mentioned for 2008, it can be said from today’s perspective that the tasks of the Austrian Armed Forces laid down in the Defence Act are increasing in number and complexity.
Within the framework of airspace security operations, which are the responsibility of the aerial forces, on the basis on the Military Powers Act, ranging from large-scale support to civilians, through contributions to the Crisis Management Teams for civil-military co-operation as well as the pre-planned contributions to multinational formations, the operational spectrum of the Austrian Armed Forces remains on a high level.
This results in the following operations categories to be presented in detail in the following chapters.
Domestic operations
- - Assistance operation on behalf of the police after the Schengen enlargement;
- - Other assistance operations;
- - Disaster relief assistance operation;
- - Operational aspects in airspace surveillance and airspace security;
- - Support to the public and the civilian sectors.
International operations
- - Contingents (KFOR, EUFOR/ALTHEA, EUFOR/TCHAD& RCA - transformed into MINURCAT, UNDOF);
- - Operations with Austrian staff personnel;
- - Military observer operations and civilian operations with military personnel;
- - International humanitarian and disaster relief as well as evacuation operations;
- - Crisis management teams; - Contributions to multinational formations.