The Austrian Armed Forces have been deploying soldiers to Kosovo since 1999. This morning, the 40th contingent was bid farewell at a military ceremony in the Khevenhüller barracks in Klagenfurt in the presence of Defense Minister Mario Kunasek and numerous guests from politics, public life and the military.
The personnel strength of the contingent is 479 soldiers. This is the highest number of red-white-red soldiers in Kosovo since 1999. With 350 professional soldiers, the 7th Jäger Brigade makes up almost three quarters and thus the largest share of this contingent, which will ensure peace in Kosovo under NATO leadership from the beginning of April until the end of September 2019. The majority of the soldiers will be provided by Jäger Battalion 25, which has experience abroad and has only consisted of professional soldiers since 2012.
Yesterday, Defense Minister Mario Kunasek, together with the Austrian contingent commander, Colonel Peter Schinnerl, and Brigadier Josef Holzer, the commander of the 7th Jäger Brigade, took a look at the soldiers’ level of training during the final exercise at the Glainach military training area. The soldiers demonstrated their high level of professionalism and the summary is: “AUTCON40/KFOR is ready”. Kunasek thanked the soldiers for their willingness to play an active part in the European security structure. The Minister of Defense was “one hundred percent” committed to the foreign missions of the Austrian Armed Forces. “There can only be security in Austria if we are also in a position to guarantee this on our doorstep,” said Kunasek. The Minister called on the soldiers to continue to work on the good reputation that Austrian soldiers enjoy with their international partners. He wished the soldiers all the best and good luck for the next six months.
The 2nd President of the Carinthian Provincial Parliament, Jakob Strauss, conveyed the greetings of the Carinthian Provincial Government and Governor Peter Kaiser. Strauss asked Minister of Defense Kunasek to advocate for the necessary support in terms of appropriate equipment and infrastructure for Carinthia’s soldiers. Strauss concluded his message: “I wish you a successful deployment abroad in Kosovo. Come back safe and sound.”
