On January 19, the 75th Officers’ Ball took place in the Vienna Hofburg under the motto “SoundS of Music”. The 3,400 guests included Minister of Defense Klaudia Tanner and Chief of the General Staff General Rudolf Striedinger as well as numerous prominent guests from Austria and abroad – and as in previous years, Militär Aktuell was there as a media partner.
Among the visitors were well-known representatives from politics, business and culture. The motto of the ball emphasized the musical diversity of the evening and referred to the partnership of the Austrian Armed Forces with the Vermont National Guard. https://youtu.be/zsFS1LL0hbQ Defense Minister Klaudia Tanner: “With the Officers’ Ball, our Armed Forces show that they are not only an operational army, but also a cultural institution. For me, the Officers’ Ball is one of the most beautiful balls, as the most diverse national and international uniforms and ball gowns come together in the Vienna Hofburg. I am very much looking forward to a musical evening full of opportunities for exchange and conversation and I hope that this year’s ball will once again be an unforgettable event.”
“With the Officers’ Ball, our Armed Forces show that they are not only an operational army, but also a cultural institution.
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Verteidigungsministerin Klaudia Tanner
The international guests included several generals from the US armed forces, such as General Daniel Robert Hokanson (Chief of the National Guard Bureau), General Christopher Cavoli (SACEUR/EUCOM Commander), Lieutenant General Steven Basham (EUCOM Deputy Commander) and Major General Gregory Knight (Commander of the Vermont National Guard). https://youtu.be/3UXzaMUBowI Representatives of the US diplomatic community were also present, including the United States Ambassador to Austria, Victoria Reggie Kennedy: “We are truly honored that the Austrian Armed Forces invited the United States of America and the Vermont National Guard as guests of honor to the 75th anniversary of the Officers’ Ball. Our strong bilateral relations and shared transatlantic partnership are more important than ever in these turbulent and dangerous times. I am very much looking forward to a wonderful evening of friendship and celebration in the context of such an unforgettable Viennese tradition.”
“We are truly honored that the Austrian Armed Forces has invited the United States of America and the Vermont State National Guard as guests of honor for the 75th Anniversary of the Officers’ Ball.”
US-Botschafterin Victoria Reggie Kennedy
Other notable guests included the highest military representative of the European Union, General Robert Brieger, opera singer Andreas Schager, violinist Lidia Baich, ORF correspondent and militia officer Christian Wehrschütz, actor Martin Leutgeb, cabaret artist Nina Hartmann and top military athletes. In direct reference to the ball motto, members of the old Austrian Trapp family were also among the visitors. https://youtu.be/Bagq6ghUSo4 Musical entertainment was provided by the string orchestra and the gala band of the guard music, the US Army Europe and Africa Band & Chorus, the 40th Army Band of the Vermont National Guard, a ladies’ string orchestra, a disco and a folk music ensemble.
The Officers’ Ball is an event with a long tradition, organized in cooperation between the Austrian Armed Forces and the “Alt-Neustadt” association, the graduates of the Theresian Military Academy. Every year, Austria’s officers invite people from different social, professional and age groups to a social get-together. The uniforms from all over the world illustrate how the Austrian Armed Forces and its officers are embedded in Austrian society and the international community.
Here for more army news and here to our other videos from the ball evening.
