Director General of the NATO International Military Staff visits Austria
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Lieutenant General Jan Broeks, Director General of the NATO International Military Staff visited Austria on 23-24 August 2017. During his visit, Lieutenant General Broeks met with General Othmar Commenda, Chief of Defence Staff and held meetings with high-ranking Austrian officials. The Director General also visited the Theresia Military Academy and the Jagdkommando (SF) training site Felixdorf.
While in Vienna, Lieutenant General Broeks, Director General of the NATO International Staff, took the opportunity to meet with the Chief of Defence Staff of the Austrian Armed Forces, General Commenda with whom he discussed Austria’s continued support to NATO Operations and Missions. Lieutenant General Broeks commended “Austria for its strong commitment to NATO. Austria has been actively contributing to KFOR and Resolute Support Mission and we are grateful to have such a valued partner”.
During his meeting at the Federal Ministry for National Defence, Lieutenant General Broeks briefed the General Staff on NATO’s deterrence and defence posture and the challenges on the northern and eastern flanks: “NATO is undertaking a process of continuous adaptation to ensure it can face a larger spectrum of threats and challenges, many of these are not primarily military and many cannot be addressed by NATO alone. Thus, the Alliance is engaging with Allies, Partners and a wide range of international and non-governmental organisations, not only to confront these threats and challenges but to address their root causes”.
Lieutenant General Broeks received a comprehensive briefing on Austria’s ongoing efforts in the fight against terrorism. The Director General also highlighted NATO’s work on counter-terrorism which “focuses on improving awareness of the threat, developing capabilities to prepare and respond, and enhancing engagement with partner countries and other international actors. Terrorism is a persistent global threat that knows no border, nationality or religion and is a challenge that the international community must tackle together”.
The next day, Lieutenant General Broeks visited the Theresia Military Academy where he received a guided tour, and the Jagdkommando training site Felixdorf. “The Jagdkommando is the Austrian Armed Forces’ Special Operations group. Jagdkommando soldiers are highly trained professionals whose duties include Counter-Terrorism and Counter insurgency”, explained Colonel Rudolf Weissenbacher, Deputy Commander of the Unit.
Austria joined NATO’s Partnership for Peace (PfP) Framework in 1995.