International operations
In 2011 repeatedly measures had to be taken with hardly any advance notice, with specialized troops and assets to crises abroad which had direct impact on Austria.
In 2011 an average of about 1,300 soldiers were deployed worldwide in 18 international operations in accordance with the Council of Ministers decisions of the Austrian government. The focus continued to be placed on the Western Balkans, in line with the political specifications, where temporarily, due to the developments in Kosovo, up to 1,000 soldiers were deployed simultaneously. By deploying AUTCON UNIFIL, as of November 2011 a second focus was set in the Middle East, where some 550 soldiers are operational for the time being until the end of 2014. In addition to two evacuation operations from northern Africa, also 4 MEDEVAC transports of casualties with C-130 from areas of operations to Austria were carried out!
A special event of 2011 was the Africa flight with the C-130. On 30 August 2011 a C-130 - Austrian Air Force 81 - started from Linz, Austria, on a round tour to Africa. The trip lasted six days, with two crews, going through Luxor, Djibouti, Mombasa, Lusaka, Douala, Abijan to Dakar, and back to Linz. The experiences gained thus form a substantial basis for possible future challenges. Also the short-notice evacuation flights of 2011 are worth mentioning.
2.1 Contingents
AUTCON/KFOR
On 28 February 2011 Deterrent Presence, Transition Gate 2 (DP TG2) was adopted in line with the North Atlantic Council (NAC) decision, thereby reducing the number of up to 10,000 troops of Gate 1 to approximately 5,700 in Gate 2. When the current fundamental conditions are maintained, this step will be the unmistakable indicator of the foreseeable phasing out of the military presence in Kosovo. KFOR’s main tasks include, especially, safeguarding a secure environment (SASE) as Third Responder after the Kosovo Police Service (1st) and EULEX (2nd). Further tasks are monitoring and training the Kosovo Security Force (KSF) and, as required, supporting the international civilian presence.Connected with this, the operational forces in the area are made up of the Multinational Battle Group WEST (MNBG WEST) under ITA lead in Camp Villagio Italia in Peæ and the Multinational Battle Group EAST (MNBG EAST), U.S.A.-led, in Camp Bondsteel, with a total of 12 manoeuvre companies. The HQ KFOR directly leads the Tactical Reserve 1 (TACRES 1) with an Infantry Battalion (-) with two manoeuvre companies under PRT-lead and the Tactical Reserve 2 (TACRES 2), represented by the ITA-led MSU.
AUTCON was reorganised in April 2011 when the contingent was rotated. The contributions of HQ personnel within HQ KFOR, one helicopter element until January 2011, one Field Humint Team (FHT) and one EOD Team, the proportional contribution in HQ MNBG W (together with ITA and SVN), in DEU ELAZ (7 physicians and medical NCOs), RLMT plus 2 LMT (18 personnel), MP-Et (3 personnel), MilHuF-Et (2 dog handlers), JLSG (20 personnel), and AUTNE (160 personnel) were maintained also in 2011. The Austrian infantry company was subordinated directly (OPCON) to MNBG W as A-Company.
In addition, within the framework of TG2 one reconnaissance company with a company HQ and 2 reconnaissance platoons, one SOF element of the special operations forces for specialised reconnaissance and one MSU platoon (made up of MP) were provided in order to fulfil the direct missions of HQ KFOR. By the end of December, the Special Operations Forces (SOF) element was redeployed to Austria and earmarked for another deployment. For the handover of Camp Casablanca in Suva Reka to UNMIK in 2011 the preparatory planning and first measures were concluded in cooperation with CZE and GER and the termination with the subsequent handover was planned as of summer 2012.
As of the end of 2011 the focus on the Balkans was reconfirmed by committing a minimum deployment strength of 450 soldiers.
Situation development as of July 2011
Following the unrest of 25 July 2011, caused by an attempt of the Kosovar authorities to impose new customs regulations on Serb goods, in the north of KFOR’s area of operations, especially along the lines of communication between Mitrovica and the border crossings GATE 1 and GATE 2 to Serbia, the movement of KFOR was seriously curtailed due to repeated demonstrations and temporary road blocks. Around 27 July 2011 these actions escalated in more and more acts of violence, directed primarily against EULEX and the Kosovo Police, on the part of the demonstrators. On that day a Kosovo Police officer was shot dead by demonstrators. Subsequently, the forces of KFOR, which were employed for reconnaissance purposes and for clearing the road blocks, were massively attacked with stones as well as by snipers, resulting in a number of deaths and a larger number of casualties. This was followed by a phase, in which the forces stationed at the Gates 1 and 31 had to be supplied by airlift.On 3 August 2011 the advance team arrived in the area of operations, while the force declared its Full Operational Capability (FOC) in the AOR on 9 August 2011. In the following, missions from the assembly area in Camp Novo Selo were carried out in conjunction with other elements of KFOR, such as the A-Coy/MNBG W, the RECCE-Coy/KFOR, elements of the MSU as well as occasionally in the northern Kosovo in cooperation with the SOF element.
Since negotiations could not solve the situation, which had been ongoing since July, on 20 October 2011 COM KFOR ordered Operation Breaking Down, with the main effort being placed in the area of Zubin Potok, with the aim of clearing and re-establishing the Freedom of Movement (FOM). Although the efforts proved successful in some areas, KFOR was met with strong demonstrations, and eventually gave priority to further negotiations instead of implementing the mandate by force. Despite tedious negotiations, the demonstrators did not change their attitude. On 28 November 2011 Operation "GOING HOME” gradually started to re-establish the original state. Already in the morning hours of 28 November, there were severe clashes with violent demonstrators, who used Molotov cocktails and explosive devices (later on, hand grenades were used) against KFOR forces, the core of which was formed by the ORF Battalion on site.
In that phase 14 German and 11 Austrian soldiers were wounded, some of them severely. Shortly after that, the German battalion commander and a soldier giving him cover were shot and injured by a sniper during negotiations with the local mayor. In that delicate phase, the Austrian deputy battalion commander, Lieutenant Colonel Franz Pirker, took over command until the injured commander had recovered.
After receiving medical emergency treatment, severely injured soldiers were evacuated to Austria by way of a C-130 MEDEVAC. In the course of the entire crisis situation, two times the national reserves re-enforced the deployed forces for maintenance of combat power and to support recreation of forces in the field.
AUTCON/EUFOR/ALTHEA
In that area of operations, the main problems are still caused by the ongoing withdrawal of troop contributors and the absence of willingness on the part of the E.U. countries to provide real contributions. In order to safeguard the capacity to act of EUFOR/ALTHEA, Austria deployed AUTCON (since June 2010 operational in this way) for the time being until mid-2013 with the battalion headquarters/manoeuvre Battalion, the reconnaissance platoon, one infantry company as well as further elements to support task fulfilment.On 6 December 2011 the command was handed over from Major General Bair to Major General Robert Brieger, who will be in charge as force commander of the fortunes of EUFOR for another year. The handover/takeover ceremony was given a festive frame by the military band of the Styria Provincial Military Commando deployed for the occasion.
In the autumn of 2011, IRL, NLD, GER and PRT (Portuguese) troops were withdrawn, resulting in the restructuring of RCC:
- RCC NORTH in Banja Luka, led by Austria,
- RCC CENTER in Zenica, led by Turkey and
- RCC SOUTH in Sarajevo, led by Slovakia.
This re-structuring and the withdrawals required that, in the framework of RCC NORTH, at the end of 2011 CHL (Chile), GRC, ROU (Romania) und AUT had to fulfil the tasks inherent in the LOT structure.
Within the framework of the training and support mission, Austria continues to contribute up to 30 soldiers to the Capacity Building and Training Division (CBTD) and provides Mobile Training Teams (MTT) in the areas of TRADOC Improvement and the experts required for this. The deployment of the MTT into the AOR Althea is done according to the MTT on the basis of BIH requirements, at staggered intervals or limited in time. In the autumn of 2011, among other things, chainsaw training and explosive demolition training with some 20 participants each were carried out in Austria.
As of the end of 2011, last year’s deployments of some 360 soldiers were maintained, thereby also underlining the focus of the Balkans.
UNDOF
AUTCON/UNDOF, which has been deployed as an element of the UN Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF) since 1974, provides the AUSBATT, an infantry battalion with some 375 soldiers. Since 2008 one Croatian manoeuvre company has been attached to AUSBATT. In the course of the restructuring, moreover, Position 22 at the border to A-Side to Israel was taken over in 2009.As of the beginning of May, the situation escalated in the Area of Separation (AOS), when demonstrators were prepared to overcome the technical barriers and fences opposite A-Side to Israel. The clashes reached their peak on 15 May 2011 and 1 June 2011, when security forces of the former conflicting parties repeatedly used armed force from outside the technical fences against demonstrators inside the UN-controlled zone. As of 15 June 2011 the situation in the area calmed down. In the course of the clashes demonstrators increasingly attacked deployed UN personnel, with the result that patrol routes and supply routes were disrupted several times and that patrols were attacked by throwing stones or with batons. Once, the demonstrators even broke into a UN position of AUTCON, however, the personnel succeeded in expelling the intruders promptly. In December 2011, the commander of the respective position, due to his exemplary commitment and considerate leadership, was elected "Soldier of the Year” of the Austrian Armed Forces.
In the course of the clashes, security forces and demonstrators exchanged fire in close proximity to UN positions, resulting in approx. 10 deaths (not confirmed) and a large number of injured during that period.
Outside B-Side, as of March, there were increasingly violent clashes between Syrian security forces and demonstrators, which occasionally affected even the Freedom of Movement (FOM) and, thus, the supply situation in general.
Subsequently, UNDOF security measures were improved and UN positions even more fortified.
The mandate is based on Chapter VI of the UN Charter and governs the peaceful settlement of disputes between UN member states. In general, such operations are also called peacekeeping operations, with the use of armed force being limited to self defence. Therefore, within the framework of the mandate the use of armed force in UNDOF is limited to self defence of the deployed soldiers and the defence of other UN soldiers, UN goods or UN positions against unlawful attacks. Active intervention by UN soldiers during the described clashes was not possible in accordance with the applying mandate, and the use of armed force going beyond the extent described also would have violated international law.
The clashes in Syria escalated over the turn of the year and may not be assessed reliably as to their impact even today.
UNIFIL
On 6 September 2011 the Council of Ministers decided that the Austrian Armed Forces were to contribute a contingent of up to 160 soldiers to the United Nations Interim Forces in Lebanon (UNIFIL) as of November 2011. The mandate of this UN operation is based on UN resolutions 425 and 426 (1978) (approximately 2,000 soldiers) as well as UN resolution 1701 (2006) (with up to 15,000 personnel plus a maritime component and an expansion of the mandate). The Headquarters is located at Naqoura in the southwest of Lebanon; the Force may be augmented on the basis of the 2006 resolution with up to 15,000 soldiers and is equipped with heavy equipment, such as battle tanks and artillery pieces. In addition, UNIFIL also includes a Maritime Task Force (MTF) in the Mediterranean. Currently, some 35 nations provide approximately 12,000 soldiers. The mission of UNIFIL is, in essence, to safeguard security in the area of operations, including patrols, checkpoints and the support of the Lebanese security forces. The robustness of the force is ultimately derived from the fact that at any given time activities by the former conflict parties are to be expected, ranging from local attacks to violent clashes that are limited in space. Examples of this are the bomb attacks of 16 October 2011 against two civilian targets as well as the roadside bomb of 9 December 2011, directed against a French patrol causing 5 wounded in the port town of Tyre, some 20 kilometres to the north of Naqoura. In the course of an Israeli Defence Forces operation against local Hezbollah militias, on 25 July 2006 the UN observer position KHIAM (UNTSO) was bombed by the Israeli Air Force, thereby killing four UN observers, one of them being Major Hans-Peter Lang.As of 25 October 2011 the first detachment of two staff officers was deployed to the HQ UNFIL, in order to prepare the influx of AUTCON forces in the area. AUTCON was eventually deployed on 22 November 2011, taking over the mission from the Danish contingent, which was repatriated by the end of November 2011. This were, in essence, logistical tasks, and the equipment used in the process, including some 100 motor vehicles (ranging from off-road vehicles through heavy flat bed trailers to a tank wagon), was provided by the UN. Full operational readiness was declared on 30 November 2011.
2.2 Operations with Austrian staff personnel, military observer missions and civilian operations with military personnel
In 2011 the following operations were continued:
- 4 staff officers at HQ UNFICYP (UN Force in Cyprus),
- 7 military observers at UNTSO (UN Truce Supervision Organisation) in the Middle East,
- 2 military observers at UNMIN (UN Mission in Nepal) until 20 January 2011, the mandate of which expired already,
- 1 staff officer at UNOWA (UN Office for Western Africa) in the function of deputy military adviser to the Special Representative of the Secretary General,
- 2 military observers at MINURSO (Mission de las Naciones Unidas para el Referendum en el Sahara Occidential, Western Sahara),
- 5 military observers at EUMM-GEORGIA as Military Monitoring Officers (MMO),
- 2 staff officers at OHQ EUFOR LIBYA, which was provided by the Rome-based Commando Operativo di vertice Interforce (COI), with whose return this contribution was concluded,
- 1 staff officer at EUSEC RD CONGO,
- 1 staff officer at RACVIAC, stationed at Zagreb, Croatia.
- 3 staff officers at HQ ISAF (International Security Assistance Force) in Kabul, Afghanistan.
2.3. International humanitarian aid and disaster relief, search and rescue operations and evacuation operations
In 2011, the following units continued to be available for carrying out operations within the framework of international humanitarian aid and disaster relief:
- AFDRU (Austrian Armed Forces Disaster Relief Unit) is a unit earmarked for international disaster relief, which is ready for deployment under 10 hours after being alerted and which may be assembled in various structures in order to cooperate with civilian authorities. This unit is formed for a concrete contingency and augmented with civilian specialists. Rescue and recovery operations after earthquakes, water treatment after high floods and flood disasters, etc. in the international environment are part of its mission.
- UNDAC (UN Disaster Assessment and Co-ordination Team) is an element of the UN, which may be employed worldwide in the event of disasters upon request of UNOCHA (UN Office for the Co-ordination of Humanitarian Affairs). When a disaster strikes, an enquiry will be made as to the availability of the experts held in evidence by the member states. After selection by UNOCHA, they will be ready for departure within 24 hours and may be deployed at any time thereafter.
In 2011, the following units were deployed within the framework of international humanitarian aid and disaster relief:
- EUCPT ZYPERN (European Union Civil Protection Team Cyprus) was deployed on behalf of the EU on the occasion of the explosion of a munitions depot on the naval base of Evangelos Florakis on 11 July 2011. For this EUCPT a team leader and a specialist with an UNDAC and AFDRU background were provided in the period of 16 to 29 July 2011. The main objectives were to give expert advice on how to manage the vast environmental damages as well as to safeguard and restore the Vassilakos power plant and the desalination plants, which are proximate to the place of the incident and relevant for the water supply of the island.
- AUTHUM JAPAN was activated after the nuclear disaster in Fukushima. Between 14 March and 10 June 2011, NBC detection personnel of the NBC Defence School and of AFDRU accompanied flights of the Austrian Airways to Tokyo. Overall, 27 Austrian Airways flights were accompanied by a highly qualified NBC specialist each, who examined the potential threat after landing in Tokyo, before giving clearance for debarkation of the airplane. In the period given, the measurements did not come up with any results that would have indicated a threat to the health.
2.4 Crisis support teams and evacuation operations
In 2011, upon request of the Federal Ministry of European and International Affairs, two crisis support teams conducted operations in Egypt and, subsequently, in Libya. In both cases the European states deployed C-130 within the framework of evacuation operations from the two respective countries to nearby airports in Europe.
- KUT ÄGYPTEN (Crisis Support Team Egypt) was deployed in the middle of the Arab Spring, from 29 January to 9 February 2011, in support of, and to protect, the Austrian Embassy in Cairo. On 31 January and 2 February 2011, one C-130 was deployed in co-ordination with other European states in order to evacuate European citizens from Luxor through Cairo to Chania, Greece.
- KUT LIBYEN (Crisis Support Team Libya) was deployed in the course of the clashes that led to the downfall of head of state Muammar Gaddafi, from 19 February to 1 March 2011, in support of, and to protect, the Austrian Embassy in Tripoli. As of 20 February 2011, one C-130 was readied on the island of Malta to support evacuation measures. On 21 February 2011, one evacuation flight with European citizens from Tripoli to La Valetta, Malta, was conducted. On 25 February 2011 the Austrian Embassy was evacuated by land to Djerba, in the neighbouring Tunisia.
2.5. Contributions to multinational units
Operational Reserve Forces (ORF)
Since the mid-nineties of the past century, in coordination between NATO and the EU forces have been kept ready to manage unexpected crises in the Joint Operation Area (JOA) Balkans. These forces are termed Over the Horizon Forces (OTHF), providing reserves on the operational level.The Austrian Armed Forces’ contribution is made up, in essence, of one infantry company with the wheeled APC "Pandur” and national elements, which amount to some 140 soldiers, attached to a battalion of the German Bundeswehr.
In 2011 these forces were activated by JFC NEAPLES, deployed into the area of operations of Kosovo in August, and eventually attached to KFOR (see KFOR for further information on the operation).