Forum Archaeologiae - Zeitschrift für klassische Archäologie 55 / VI / 2010

PROTECTION OF CULTURAL PROPERTY IN THE AUSTRIAN ARMED FORCES
Research and Instruction

The Austrian Armed Forces are the only forces worldwide that have introduced a "Liasion Officer for the Protection of Cultural Property" (LO/PCP), in accordance with the stipulations of the 1954 "Hague Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict" and its two adjunct Protocols.
However, the experience gained in various operations over the past years as well as the fundamentally changed threat scenario have shown that the issue of protecting of cultural property goes, and has to go, far beyond the basically clearly defined tasks of a Liasion Officer for the Protection of Cultural Property, as provided by the Hague Convention and its Protocols.

In the Austrian Armed Forces, training of the Liasion Officers for the Protection of Cultural Property has, so far, included:

  • Training and further training of Liasion Officers for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Austrian Armed Forces at the National Defence Academy. The basic training course for LO/PCP takes one week and comprises following subjects:
    - Legal instruction
    - Introduction into the current state of the "estimate of the situation" and of staff service in general
    - Specialist training of cultural property protection personnel, such as the introduction into the existing "basic materials" for the protection of cultural property, the applicable legal basis of cultural property protection ("basic directive") as well as tactical training regarding all types of operations, in accordance with the Defence Act
    - Tasks and methods of operation of the institutions responsible for cultural property protection, on the national and the international level
    * National - Federal Monuments Authority
    * International - UNESCO

    Training already conducted:
    In several national and, especially, international symposiums or workshops, respectively contingencies with reference to sub-paras (a) and (d) of the Defence Act were dealt with intensively in theory and practice:
    1997 - Situation "Göttweig" - cultural property protection in a defensive operation
    1999 - Situation "Friesach" - cultural property protection in a delaying defensive operation
    2001 - Situation "Montfort" - cultural property protection in an international operation, using the situation in the Kosovo as test case
    2006 - Situation "Pallas Athena" - cultural property protection in a peace support operation, using the Situation in Bosnia and Herzegovina as test case
    In the near future, contingencies with reference to sub-paras (b) and (c) of the Defence Act will be dealt with in national and international symposiums. In September 2010, for example, a field exercise is planned within the framework of a UNESCO workshop on the Implementation of the Hague Convention and its two Protocols, organized by the Austrian Armed Forces. The CPX for the workshop will concentrate on the problem of protecting "special cultural property" in archives and libraries.
  • Basic introduction into the aspects of cultural property protection as part of officer further training within the framework of staff officer training at the Military Academy
  • Activities of cultural property protection officers during exercises and cadre training in their respective areas of responsibility


    In the future, instruction will be substantially extended:

  • A comprehensive introduction into all aspects of cultural property protection as part of the training of future military leaders at the Military Academy:
    * Intensive and practice-oriented basic instruction concerning all aspects of the "Hague Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict" and its two Protocols dealing with military property protection, as part of the course on international law.
    * Intensive and practice-oriented basic instruction concerning all aspects of aforementioned civilian protection of historic buildings and monuments, within the framework of Modules I and II on the "Execution of Legal Standards", at the Theresan Military Academy.
    * Within the framework of basic legal training for the PSO Module agreed upon by the European Ministers of Defence, held at the Military Academy as of autumn 2010.
  • Development of teaching materials for training all cadre personnel, initially with instruction assistance, as well as teacher training at education and training institutions of the Austrian Armed Forces
  • Implementation of cultural property protection scenarios in all major exercises (particularly also in the field of digitally simulated exercises).

    © Hubert Speckner
    e-mail: hubert.speckner@bmlvs.gv.at


    This article should be cited like this: H. Speckner, Protection of Cultural Property in the Austrian Armed Forces. Research and Instruction, Forum Archaeologiae 55/VI/2010 (http://farch.net).



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