24 Mar. 2008
Suva Reka/Suhareke, Kosovo - Austrian infantrymen landed in a chartered aircraft of a German airline last Wednesday. Allowing all soldiers of the Operational Reserve Force Battalion (ORF) from Germany and Austria to arrived in Kosovo within one week.
This mixed Austrian-German ORF Battalion assigned to NATO deploys to Kosovo in order to participate in a routinely-scheduled exercise starting in March until April 2008.
After their arrival the Austrian soldiers had a tight schedule. Immediately after touchdown in Pristina they were transported to Suva Reka/Suhareke to begin their duties.
In order to establish operational readiness, the entire ORF battalion had worked hard over the course of the week. Material from the laundry bag up to wheeled APCs, were taken over by the ORF soldiers. The vehicles were driven up to Camp Casablanca. Everywhere there were vehicles with doors open, soldiers climbing around inside and outside of the vehicles and checking everything. People could be heard shouting "size 10 wrench, ring wrench, U-shape", because behind the vehicles the entire vehicle insides and the on-board equipment were spread out on tarpaulins and checked for completeness.
The unit is comprised of mechanized infantrymen equipped with "PANDUR" wheeled APCs. The unit includes their own maintenance personnel, Explosive Ordnance Disposal, Military Police and medical forces.
(Story by Captain Gerhard H. Fahn, German Army)
