The 1st and 2nd years as well as the 3rd year of the Theresian Military Academy completed their mountain training at the Hochfilzen military training area.
Mountains and snow … this is how quite a few foreigners imagine Austria alongside Mozart and the Viennese waltz. Even the Austrian national anthem begins with the words “Land of the mountains”. So it’s no wonder that Austrian soldiers are expected to be able to perform military tasks in the mountains. Knowledge and skills for missions in these areas are therefore of great importance for every officer, regardless of their type of weapon. The training program for military academics therefore also includes the “Mountain Commander” course. The course is conducted by the Mountain Combat Center in two parts: The two-week summer course and the one-week winter course. Building on the mountain troop training carried out in Cadre Candidate Training 2, the course enables the midshipmen to carry out tasks under difficult conditions in low mountain ranges. The training is aimed less at learning technical alpine skills and more at developing assessment and leadership skills for operations in the mountains. The “Freiherr Lenk von Wolfsberg” class completed the winter part of the course from February 1 to 5, thereby completing the “Mountain Commander” course.
As the 1st year ensigns had to cancel their mountain training during Cadre Candidate Training 2 due to the coronavirus pandemic, they spent two weeks at the Hochfilzen military training area. In the first week, the program included general topics such as moving with snowshoes, types of attacks in winter and bivouac construction. The second week was dedicated entirely to the fulfillment of military tasks in the winter mountains. The focus here was on “life/survival”. However, the midshipmen were also exposed to psychological and physical stress. Uncertainty, frequent changes of situation and subjective dangers were demanding. Above all, the final march under combat conditions from the Hochfilzen military training area via the Römersattel and Vorderkaserklamm gorge to Saalfelden pushed many to the limits of their physical capabilities, but will also be remembered for a long time to come. The special importance of mountain combat is also reflected in the fact that three weeks of the training in the hunters’ branch of the armed forces are devoted to this subject area. Also taught by the experts at the Mountain Combat Center, the midshipmen in the Jäger training group of the “Dragoon Regiment 7” are learning the special features of deployment in the mountains. “Survival/living” as well as “moving” and “fighting” – three areas that not only need to be known, but also mastered. In addition to promoting self-mobility through several tours in the snow-covered mountains, cooperation with supporting elements such as helicopters and pack animals was also trained. The special features of shooting in the mountains were experienced and factors to be considered when planning and carrying out operations in the mountains were learned. The Military Academy would like to thank the experts from the Mountain Combat Center and the mountain-qualified training personnel from various units of the Austrian Armed Forces for carrying out the training, imparting knowledge and techniques and providing comradely advice.
