On June 17, the lights went out at 5:00 a.m. in the Schwarzenberg barracks in Salzburg: The Salzburg military command practiced a blackout scenario in Austria’s largest barracks. Not only the lighting, but all electrically operated and electronic devices were taken off the grid as planned.
The Salzburg Military Command is working intensively on the scenario of a large-scale power failure that would also affect the barracks in the province. The main purpose of the exercise in the Schwarzenberg barracks was to implement the first measures to ensure operational readiness. The focus was on ensuring command and control capability and supplying the military forces under blackout conditions.
When the cell phone doesn’t work, the laptop has no internet access, the oven stays cold and there is no electric light, you have to rely on alternatives: Catering for 1,000 soldiers and civilian staff was prepared at three field kitchens. An emergency power supply for the most important areas of the barracks was ensured within two hours using mobile generators. One of the most delicate issues was securing the information and communication technology. https://militaeraktuell.at/das-sensible-nervensystem-unserer-gesellschaft-schuetzen/ In the first period, the so-called chaos phase, reporters were sent out on foot, by bike or by car. Backup batteries and emergency power generators kept the IT and telephone connections running. The servers of the dynamic, secure military network were switched to emergency operation without interruption. A secure connection within the armed forces and to authorities and emergency organizations is the basis for bringing order to the chaos.
“The purpose of the exercise was to recognize system-relevant weak points in the barracks and to identify the necessary measures to improve self-sufficiency in the barracks,” said military commander Brigadier Anton Waldner at the final briefing. “The exercise showed us that we were planning in the right direction. But the practice has revealed the details of where we need to develop further.” The aim of the Salzburg Military Command is to remain fully operational in the event of a blackout and to ensure the operational readiness of the troops. Society relies on modern technology to function and all the comforts of life to be maintained. A large-scale power outage, the duration of which cannot be estimated, brings us back to simple methods. Each and every individual must be made aware of this and know what to do in the event of an emergency.
