Introduction
Operational tasks are and will remain at the core of the Austrian Armed Forces. They start with professional planning and extensive preparations leading to a stringent implementation and end with a post-operation review.
The restructuring process in the sense of providing forces for international operations (KIOP) continued throughout 2010. Aside from redistributing tasks to newly established units, there was a shift toward more specialized capabilities. With regard to OCC almost all elements contributing to multinational operations were certified to have met the required interoperability standards. Continuing with the broad spectrum of operations, which has been evident since 2009, it is clear from today’s perspective that the Austrian Armed Forces were able to accomplish their tasks, as laid down in the Defence Act, in point of quality as well as quantity, despite the high demands made on them.
In 2010, the task spectrum ranged from airspace security operations - tasks of the Austrian Air Force, on the basis of the Military Powers Act concerning large-scale support operations - to contributing to crisis management teams, civil-military cooperation as well as planning and preparing the participation in multinational forces, such as the European Battle Groups (EUBG).
In 2010, the Austrian Armed Forces celebrated the 50th anniversary of participating in international operations. Since Austria’s first contribution to an operation abroad within the framework of the UN-led operation ONUC in the former Congo, approximately 90,000 soldiers have served in up to 117 different operations worldwide. 49 soldiers lost their lives in those operations. In 1988, the achievement of these soldiers serving in UN operations was honored with the Nobel Peace Prize. In connection with the special edition of the publication series on the history of the Austrian Armed Forces, titled "50th Anniversary of Foreign Missions by the Austrian Armed Forces”, also the United Nations Secretary General BAN Ki-moon recognized the performance of the soldiers in a letter of appreciation.
To understand the achievements of the Austrian Armed Forces in greater detail the following categories of operations are described in the chapters hereafter:
National Operations
- Security assistance operation after the Schengen-Enlargement (AssE/SchE);
- Additional security assistance operations (sihpol AssE);
- Assistance operations in disaster relief (AssE/KatHi);
- Operational aspects of airspace surveillance and airspace security;
- Support services provided to the public.
International Operations
- Troop contingents (KFOR, EUFOR ALTHEA, UNDOF);
- Military missions with Austrian staff personnel, observer missions, and civil missions with military personnel;
- International humanitarian and disaster relief operations, search and rescue operations and evacuation operations;
- Crisis Management Teams;
- Contributions to multinational forces.