During their visit to the Austrian National Defence Academy (NDA) in Vienna on 28 September, Senior Course 119 were given a number of interrelated talks focusing on the topic “Comprehensive Security – A Whole of Government Challenge”.
Led by NDC Commandant LtGen Arne Bård Dalhaug, Course Members were welcomed by LtGen Csitkovits, Commandant of the NDA. After LtGen Csitkovits’ introductory remarks, the morning’s keynote lecture was given by the Honourable Ambassador Jandl, Security Policy Director of the Austrian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The Ambassador underlined the need for a comprehensive approach at the national level, to ensure that the new challenges that have emerged in recent years can be appropriately addressed.
The featured speakers in the panel discussion immediately afterwards were BGen Segur-Cabanac as the moderator, Professor Rauch (University of Graz), Mr Felgenhauer (Austrian Ministry of the Interior) and Mr Hartleb (Austrian Foreign Trade Promotion Organization). The discussion and subsequent Q&A period afforded detailed insight into various aspects of comprehensive security from a number of different perspectives.
The last item on the morning’s very full programme of activities was a briefing by Major General Pucher, who gave a thorough appraisal of the Austrian contribution to comprehensive security in South East Europe, highlighting the fundamental importance of cooperation in non-military spheres of activity in the Western Balkans.
Course Members then spent a most informative afternoon at the Vienna International Centre, where they were briefed on the International Atomic Energy Agency and the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty.
The NDC delegation now travels to Hungary, a visit awaited with great interest by Course Members as a rare opportunity to receive an authoritative overview of Hungarian defence and security policies.
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