In mid-October, Brigadier Günter Schöpf took over the position of deputy KFOR commander from his predecessor, Brigadier General Laurent Michaud from Switzerland, at a ceremony.
In addition to delegations from various troop-contributing countries, numerous civilian and military dignitaries, such as the Austrian ambassador, Christoph Weidinger, and the KFOR commander, Major General Michele Risi, also attended the ceremony. In his speech, Major General Risi once again paid tribute to the excellent work of the Austrian soldiers for over 20 years now. Austria is not only one of the largest troop contributors to the NATO-led mission in Kosovo, but now also occupies the second-highest position in the KFOR force with Brigadier Schöpf, in addition to other key functions at headquarters. This once again demonstrates the importance of Austrian soldiers in international peace missions.
Brigadier Schöpf has a wide range of international experience and, in addition to missions in Afghanistan and Africa, also spent four years on NATO’s international military staff in Brussels. Brigadier Schöpf will also take over from his predecessor as head of “Silver Sabre 2020-2021”, the traditional KFOR crisis management exercise, in which the institutions in Kosovo will play an important role in the planning and implementation of activities for the first time. The commander of all troops deployed in KFOR, Major General Michele Risi, leaves no doubt that he has full confidence in the experience and skills of his new deputy and is looking forward to the usual comradely and uncomplicated cooperation. The KFOR force currently consists of 3,500 soldiers from 26 NATO and partner countries and is committed to contributing to a secure environment and freedom of movement for all citizens in Kosovo in accordance with UN Security Council Resolution 1244 of 1999.
