On November 13, the annual conference of the Science Commission of the Federal Ministry of Defense took place at the National Defence Academy in Vienna. This year’s topic was “Change: Challenges of state self-assertion in a multipolar world”.
Defence Minister Klaudia Tanner opened the event with a speech and emphasized the importance of scientific cooperation for Austria’s security and defence policy. In the course of this, Michael Kunze and retired Brigadier Alfred Vogel were awarded the Military Merit Medal for their outstanding achievements.
“The fact is, we need scientific expertise and interdisciplinary research. This applies not only with regard to technological change, but also, for example, in dealing with disinformation campaigns. Especially with regard to hybrid threats, the work of the Science Commission makes a valuable contribution to intellectual national defense,” said Defense Minister Tanner. “And when it comes to ensuring Austria’s security in an increasingly complex world, we need to specifically promote scientific research as well as military research. It drives technological progress and can make an important contribution to national value creation.”
After the opening by the Chairman of the Science Commission, Josef Eberhardsteiner, experts discussed current global challenges. In the first panel, Harald Teufelsbauer spoke about medical challenges in connection with the Ukraine war. Susanne Bärenthaler-Sieber from the Austrian Institute of Economic Research drew attention to dependencies in the international trade network. The head of the Institute for Officer Training at the Theresian Military Academy, Colonel Markus Reisner, contributed his military expertise to the fourth panel. Grzegorz Rossoliński-Liebe then spoke about the internal conflicts of KGB agent Bogdan Staschinski.
Science as a strategic resource
The Science Commission at the Federal Ministry of Defense was founded in 1992. Its main tasks are to provide scientific advice to the Minister of Defense, support the department’s planning and teaching requirements and promote cooperation with scientific institutions in Austria and abroad. The current term of office runs from July 1, 2022 to June 30, 2027. 253 members currently belong to the commission. Around 80 percent of these are experts from civilian organizations and 20 percent are from within the department. The Chairman is Josef Eberhardsteiner, the Deputy Chairman is the Chief of the General Staff, General Rudolf Striedinger.
As a bridge between science and the armed forces, the Science Commission at the Federal Ministry of Defense stands for innovation, knowledge transfer and strategic foresight – and thus for the continuous strengthening of Austria’s ability to act in terms of security policy.
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