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| Austrian Armed Forces |
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| The main tasks of the
Austrian Armed Forces |
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To defend Austria
The country's military defence is the duty of the Austrian Armed
Forces. It is conducted on the principles of a militia system.
The Armed Forces furthermore have ... |
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...to protect the constitutionally established institutions
and the population's democratic freedoms |
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...to maintain order and security inside the country |
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...to render assistance in the case of natural catastrophes
and disasters of exceptional magnitude. |
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| Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces is the Federal President,
supreme command is exercised by the Federal Minister of Defence. |
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| Organization |
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| Overview of the Austrian
Armed Forces |
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The Austrian Armed Forces form the armed power of the Republic of
Austria. Their Commander-in-Chief is the Austrian Federal President,
while the Minister of Defence exercises his power of supreme command
by way of his offices and subordinated commanders.
Tasks
The primary objective of the AAF is the armed defence of Austria.
Other tasks include defending constitutional institutions,
preserving law and order and providing humanitarian aid in case of
natural catastrophes. Because of Austria's membership in the UN, the
EU and Partnership for Peace (PfP), foreign assignments have notably
increased in importance.
Organisation
In times of peace, the Army comprises professional soldiers, further
employees and conscripts. The task force organisation also includes
militia soldiers. The Armed Forces are divided into the air force,
landbased and special forces.
Manning Level
After having reached its final overhauled structure in 2010,
personnel is expected to be of the following strength:
Armed Forces Command together with Mission Support Command:
21,000 officials
24,000 militia soldiers
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45,000 people
In addition to these, employees of the Central Command (Ministry of
Defence), of further offices, academies and schools contribute to a
total troop strength of 55,000, including a pool of experts drawn
from militia. |
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Theresan Military Academy |
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Founded in 1751 by
Maria Theresia as a "cadet school" with the intent of
providing an excellent military education to the most
able young men, the Theresan Military Academy remains a
world leading institution to this day. The combination
of a heart of tradition with modern education on a
college level is mainly responsible for the
internationally recognised high level of qualification
of Austrian officers. |
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From Cadet School to College Course
Since 1998, the officer cadet course is an officially
recognised college course. One of the larger changes during
the course of the reform preceding this arrangement was the
opening of the academy to civilian students, with the
intention of providing them with the skills necessary for
hands-on management in fields such as disaster relief
organisations. In order to be granted a place at the course,
a prospective student will have to be qualified for higher
education entrance in Austria – in most cases this means
being in possession of an Austrian high school diploma – and
pass a series of entry exams. A military applicant aiming to
pursue a career as an officer in the Austrian Armed Forces
will additionally need to have completed a preparation
semester during the course of a one-year voluntary service
or already be an NCO.
Officers as Expert Managers
The “Military Leadership” course focuses on communication,
teamwork and organisational skills as well as problem
analysis and autonomous development of solution
methodologies. This provides the academy’s students with a
funded background in leadership and crisis management and
qualifies them as expert managers in both a military and
civilian context. Upon completion of the four-year course,
the students graduate with the rank of Lieutenant and a
Master’s degree in “Military Leadership”. While civilian
students receive the same degree as military students, they
do not receive a military rank. |
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| Rank Insignia |
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Enlisted (Without Rank) |
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Private |
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Enlisted (With Rank) |
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| Lance Corporal |
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Corporal |
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Master Corporal |
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Non-Commissioned Officers |
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| Sergeant |
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Master Sergeant |
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Staff Sergeant |
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| Warrant Officer
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Warrant Officer
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Warrant Officer
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Commissioned Officers |
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| Officer Cadet |
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Second
Lieutenant |
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First
Lieutenant |
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| Captain |
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Major |
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Lieutenant
Colonel |
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| Colonel |
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Brigadier |
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Major General |
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| Lieutenant
General |
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General |
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| Infantry |
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| Infantry troops are the backbone of the Austrian
Armed Forces. |
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Fighting in urban terrain |
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High
alpine training |
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Infantry with ’Pandur’ APC |
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Squad
leader |
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| Special Forces (Jagdkommando) |
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| A variety of impressions from Special Forces
training. |
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Parachuting |
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Sniper |
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Special Forces squad waiting
for a helicopter lift |
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Combat
diver |
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| Fighting Vehicles |
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| Tanks and fighting vehicles in use. |
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Tank destroyer ’Jaguar’ |
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Tank
destroyer ’Kürassier’ |
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Infantry fighting vehicle ’Ulan’ |
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Armored
personnel carrier ’Pandur’ |
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Main battle tank ’Leopard 2A4’ |
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Main
battle tank ’Leopard 2A4’ |
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| Artillery |
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| The main weapon system of the AAF's artillery is
the M-109 howitzer. |
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M-109 howitzer |
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M-109
howitzer |
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Images: © Bundesheer - Austrian Armed Forces |
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| Austrian Air Force |
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Image: Eurofighter - © Bundesheer |
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Shortly before declaring neutrality on October 26,
1955, Austria formed an air arm which was tasked with defending
Austria's air space. Basic flying training for the Kommando
Luftstreitkräfte (Austria's aviation division and an element of the
new Bundesheer «Federal Army») began in December 1955 using Yak-11
Moose and Yak-18 Max aircraft which had been abandoned, still in
their crates, by retreating Soviet troops. Twenty-two Cessna L-19A
Bird Dog observation and liaison aircraft were subsequently
purchased under the Mutual Aid Plan for a nominal $1 from US forces
based in Austria.
Today, the Luftstreitkräfte have three main tasks: |
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maintaining the sovereignty of its air
space, |
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providing reconnaissance, transport,
liaison and combat support for its ground forces, |
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acting in an emergency relief capacity
both at home and abroad. |
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| The latter ranges from search and rescue (SAR)
missions after avalanches, earthquakes and floods to fire-fighting
duties. |
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| Goldhaube |
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| Austria's air defence system Goldhaube (Golden
Hat), has been operational since 1988, at about the same time as the
introduction into service of the Saab Draken. It consists of fixed
radar sites and mobile radar stations. Two Saab 105s or F-5s "Tiger"
are permanently held on quick reaction alert to intercept
unidentified aircraft approaching the border. |
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Image: Air defence system "Goldhaube" - © Bundesheer |
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| In June 1991, during the crisis in Slovenia, several airspace
violations were made by Yugoslav jets. On one occasion, a Yugoslav
fighter even overflew the city of Graz, which is 50km (31 miles)
from the border. Following this incident, the Bundesheer was put on
alert for several weeks, with anti-aircraft artillery (AAA) units
positioned around the air base near Graz. There was another incident
in October 1991, when two Saab 105s intercepted a JRV MiG-21 flown
by a deserting Croatian pilot and accompanied him to the airport of
Klagenfurt, where he landed. However, most of the unidentified
traffic transpires to be airliners which have not adhered to their
assigned track or time over checkpoints. |
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| Fliegerregiment 1 |
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| Fliegerregiment 1 consists of four staffel (squadrons);
the first staffel being equipped with Agusta-Bell 212s. They are
used for medium transport, carrying up to 1,200kg (2,646lb)
internally or externally, or 12 passengers in addition to the crew
of two. The AB 212 can also be equipped with three stretchers for
casualty evacuation, and with a 400 lit (88 Imp gal) water tank on a
winch, they are used as fire-fighters. |
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S-70 Black Hawk |
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S-70
Black Hawk |
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Pilatus PC-6 "Turbo Porter" |
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OH-58
’Kiowa’ |
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Fliegerregiment 1's second and third squadrons are equipped with
Agusta-Bell 206A Jet Rangers and Bell OH 58B Kiowas respectively.
Although used for similar tasks (liaison use and observation), the
AB 206A is also used for basic helicopter flying training while the
OH-58Bs are the divisions only armed helicopters, with the ability
to carry a 7.62mm six-barrel machine gun, capable of firing 4,000
rounds per minute.
Being the sole fixed wing transport squadron, the 4th Flächenstaffel
is equipped with Shorts SC-7 Skyvan Series 3Ms and Pilatus PC-6/B2H2
Turbo Porters. The Skyvans, are primarily used as transport shuttles
between the air bases of the Kommando Luftstreitkräfte. The Turbo
Porters have a variety of duties, including transport, SAR,
fire-fighting (with an 800 lit/176 Imp gal water tank), observation,
target towing and paradropping. |
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| Ueberwachungsgeschwader |
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| The Ueberwachungsgeschwader is equipped with 12 F-5
"Tiger" aircraft rented from the Swiss Air Force. They are operated
from the airbase in Zeltweg, Styria. |
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F-5E "Tiger" II |
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F-5E
"Tiger" II |
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Eurofighter |
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Eurofighter |
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| Hubschraubergeschwader |
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| The Hubschraubergeschwader is based at
Aigen-in-Ennstal with permanent detachments (Stützpunkte) to
Klagenfurt and Schwaz/Tirol near Innsbruck. Some of the Alouettes,
nicknamed Christoph, are equipped as rescue helicopters. |
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Alouette III |
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Alouette III |
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| Fliegerregiment 3 |
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| Based at the joint civil and military airport of
Linz-Hörsching is Fliegerregiment 3, which incorporates two flying
units, Hubschraubergeschwader 3 and the Jagdbombergeschwader. The
first staffel of Hubschraubergeschwader 3 is equipped with AB 212s,
while AB 204Bs make up the second squadron. |
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C-130 Hercules |
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Agusta
Bell 212 |
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Saab 105 Ö |
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Saab
105 Ö |
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| The Jagdbombergeschwader is equipped with Saab 105. Equipped with up
to six underwing pylons, the Saab 105s can carry up to 12 75mm
unguided rockets and two 30mm cannon pods or a combination of the
types. For the reconnaissance role, the Saab 105s can carry a
recce-pod with three daylight and two infra-red cameras. Jet
training is also conducted by the Jagdbombergeschwader. |
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Image: Saab 105 Ö - "Tigerstaffel" - © Bundesheer |
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| Austrian Saab 105s used to be regular guests at airshows abroad,
four of them forming the demonstration team Karo-As. Although the
team was disbanded in the mid-1980s, some of the aircraft still
carry the Day-Glo tail from that era. Saab 105s undergo a major
overhaul every 450 flying hours at the Fliegerwerft 2 at Zeltweg. |
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| further Information about |
| Austrian Armed Forces |
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