Austrian OSCE Chairmanship organizes visit for participating States delegations to AUTINT-run SMM predeployment training in Götzendorf, Lower Austria
Vienna, 19 June 2017 - High level representatives of more than 20 delegations of OSCE participating States and senior OSCE officials visited on 9 June 2017 the site of the predeployment training for the Special Monitoring Mission (SMM) to Ukraine conducted by the Austrian Armed Forces International Centre (AUTINT) in Götzendorf, Lower Austria. The visit was organized by the Austrian OSCE Chairmanship.
Visitors also included SMM Chief Monitor Ertugrul Apakan, Director of the OSCE Conflict Prevention Centre Marcel Pesko and Lieutenant General Franz Reißner, Commander of the Austrian Land Forces.
The SMM has been operating in a hazardous environment since its inception. To prepare incoming staff for their challenging working environment, the Mission has been co-operating with the Austrian Ministry of Defence and AUTINT since November 2014. The pre-deployment training is tailored to the SMM’s mandate and operations, including a comprehensive set of field security-related modules.
The visitors were briefed by AUTINT Commanding Officer Colonel Claus Amon and the head of the teaching department, Colonel Sandor Galavics, on OSCE/AUTINT co-operation and on the content of the SMM predeployment courses. They were taken to the training area to observe parts of the practical training exercise, including on behaviour at an aggressive checkpoint and the provision of first aid in the context of a road accident. The visit gave participants the opportunity to gain first-hand insight into the field security skills and techniques acquired through practical exercises.