Source description last updated: 12 March 2020

In brief: The National Defence Academy (Landesverteidigungsakademie, LAVAk) is an educational and research institution of the Austrian Armed Forces.

Coverage on ecoi.net:

Selected publications, including the bilingual Fact Sheet series (e.g. on Syria, Iraq and Libya) and the bilingual IFK Monitor report series

Covered monthly on ecoi.net for countries of priorities A, B and C.

Mission/Mandate/Objectives:

“The National Defence Academy is the highest-level military education and research institution of the Austrian Armed Forces. […]

The National Defence Academy is responsible for training future general staff officers, officers of the senior and military specialist services and other senior officers.

As commissioned by the Ministry [of Defence] and particularly for its own educational purposes, the National Defence Academy conducts research, thereby developing and producing current, needs-based content for training courses, seminars and other types of classes and lectures on the one hand and materials designed to inform the senior command’s decision-making and planning processes and to facilitate the making of provisions on the other.” (Website der LVAk: Auftrag der Landesverteidigungsakademie, ohne Datum, working translation by ACCORD)

The Institute for Peace Support and Conflict Management (IFK), which is part of LAVAk, “focuses on threat and conflict situations, regional conflict analysis, conflict transformation and structures and doctrines of armed forces.” The core activities of the IFK include political consultancy, research (including conflict analysis), teaching and public relations. (Website der LVAk: Institut für Friedenssicherung und Konfliktmanagement, ohne Datum, working translation by ACCORD)

Funding:

Austrian government funds

Scope of reporting:

Geographic focus: Western Balkans, North Africa, the wider Horn of Africa, Middle East, South Caucasus and territories belonging to Russia’s sphere of influence

Thematic focus: Threats and conflicts, international crisis management and current operations

Methodology:

Fact Sheets draw upon media reports and provide an overview of security-related developments (see, for example, LVAk: Fact Sheet Syrien No. 75, January 2020, LVAk: Fact Sheet Armenia No. 1, June 2019 and LVak: Fact Sheet Libya No. 9, May 2019). Fact Sheets on Syria, Iraq and Libya include a map or graph showing recent developments (along with an analysis of the same), a forecast as well as chronologies of “international conflict and crisis management”, ”military developments” and “domestic politics”. The Fact Sheets are periodically compiled/updated by researchers affiliated with IFK teams specialised in the relevant region. They do not contain references to specific sources. (see, for example, LVAk: Fact Sheet Syria No. 75, January 2020, LVak: Fact Sheet Libya No. 9, May 2019 and LVAk: Fact Sheet Iraq No. 70, September 2018)

IFK Monitor reports deal with issues relating to security or domestic politics in a specific country/region or topics pertaining to international relations or international crisis management. The reports present the authors’ analysis and do not include references to specific sources. (see, for example, LVAk: Algerien: Ringen um einen geordneten Übergang, August 2019 and LVAk: Donbas: No easing of tensions after the elections, May 2019)

Languages of publication:

German and English

Further reading:

Wiener Zeitung: Krisenerklärer mit österreichischem Blick, 17 October 2019
https://www.wienerzeitung.at/nachrichten/politik/oesterreich/2034122-Krisenerklaerer-mit-oesterreichischem-Blick.html

 

All links accessed 12 March 2020.