Austria’s OSCE Chairmanship holds discussion on military doctrines with focus on different threat perceptions

Austria’s 2017 OSCE Chairmanship is bringing together military as well as civilian experts on 4 and 5 May 2017 to discuss current and future challenges to security in Europe with a special focus on military aspects of security. The Intersessional OSCE Dialogue on Military Doctrines is hosted by Austria’s Federal Ministry of Defence at the National Defence Academy in Vienna.

A wide spectrum of issues relevant for the security of OSCE participating States will be dealt with over the course of the meeting, such as threat perceptions and their influence on national military doctrines and defence policies. The discussion aims at revitalizing the dialogue between States and promoting military-to-military contacts even in times of increasing tensions.

“Understanding the concerns of others is the first step to overcoming differences,” said the OSCE Secretary General Lamberto Zannier in his opening remarks. “While the threat assessment of every participating State may be unique, it is important to identify areas of convergence and common objectives. Therefore, a discussion on threat assessments and military doctrines is timely and relevant.”

This event is an important contribution to the newly-created Structured Dialogue between OSCE participating States on current and future challenges and risks in the politico-military sphere, and follows up on the High Level Military Doctrine Seminar of February 2016.