Introduction
Operational tasks are - and will continue to be - the core tasks for the Austrian Armed Forces. Also in 2012, the scope of operational tasks as per the Military Powers Act ranged from airspace security operations (tasks performed by the Austrian Air Force) through large-scale support, contributions to crisis support teams and civil-military cooperation to the planning and preparation of contributions to multinational crisis response forces, such as the EU Battle Groups (EUBG). In continuation of the vast spectrum of operations already mentioned in the 2011 report, we can establish that the tasks of the Austrian Armed Forces, as laid down in the Defence Act, and international operations, in particular, were to be handled despite the increasing demands in terms of quality, quantity and complexity - and in different areas of operations.
For detailed coverage of the performance of the Austrian Armed Forces the following categories of operations are listed in this year’s issue:
Domestic operations
- Law enforcement assistance operations;
- Disaster relief operations;
- Operation-relevant aspects of airspace surveillance and air policing;
- Support services performed by the Austrian Armed Forces.
International Operations
- Force contingents (KFOR & ORF, EUFOR "Althea”, UNDOF, UNIFIL);
- National augmentation forces;
- Operations with Austrian staff personnel, military observer missions and civilian missions with military personnel;
- International humanitarian support and disaster relief, search and rescue operations;
- Crisis support teams and evacuation operations;
- Contributions to multinational units.