Honoured readers,
The operations review outlines the performance of the Austrian Armed Forces with regard to the domestic and international operations carried out during one year.
Austria’s contributions to the international operations of KFOR and EUFOR "Althea” in the Balkans as well as those of UNDOF and UNIFIL in the Middle East were continued. The still tense situation in the North of Kosovo required that in the framework of the mission undertaken by the Operational Reserve Force (ORF) our forces had to be deployed repeatedly within the DEU-AUT-ORF Battalion. The operations in the Middle East were characterised by the escalating developments in Syria, where the armed conflict spread over the entire country. The average of 1,400 soldiers deployed worldwide in up to 14 operations shows the still strong commitment of the Austrian Armed Forces (AAF) to international crisis management.
In terms of domestic operations, be that law enforcement assistance or disaster relief, the employed soldiers demonstrated their full operability in all respects. Notwithstanding the discussion about defence systems, this was achieved by operational elements, made up of both motivated career soldiers and national servicemen!
Giving a statement of one’s performance also means that the accomplished achievements are evaluated in relation to the objectives of the specific missions and operations. In 2012 the soldiers deployed in the Balkans as well as in the Middle East were confronted with high-risk challenges and threats. Task fulfilment in the course of these deployments called for using knowledge and skills that are routinely trained during operations preparation and that are to enable every soldier to meet the challenges in escalating crisis situations and to accomplish his mission.
As Director of the Operations Command and Control Division I would like to thank the deployed soldiers for their motivation and commitment and express my full appreciation of their performance!