From 2 to 4 July the OSCE Academy had the honour to welcome Col. Thomas Ahammer, Defence Attaché of Austria for Armenia and Kazakhstan (with residence in Vienna), for a number of guest lectures to the Academy’s alumni and students.
On 2 July Col. Ahammer joined the participants of the Summer School on Human Security and Climate Change to discuss the security aspects of climate change.
On 3 July Col. Ahammer delivered a guest lecture to the Academy’s MA students on “Climate Change and Defence” as part of the European Climate Policy module, taught by Dr. Rahat Sabyrbekov within his Jean Monnet Module project.
On 4 July the public lecture on “The Role of Military Diplomacy Globally: The Austrian Perspective” was delivered by Col. Ahammer to students and alumni of the OSCE Academy. During the discussion that followed with students, alumni and experts the emphasis was on issues of Austria’s neutrality and its participation in EU security and defence policy, on the support defence attachés provide to their nation’s defence industry and Austria’s policy as far as selling weapons and ammunitions to various non-EU member-states.
During his lectures, Col. Ahammer shared his professional experience as well as the experience of Austria in tackling climate change and developing its defence policy in response to global challenges.
The OSCE Academy expresses its gratitude to the Austrian Government for supporting this visit.