With Reisner in Action

Markus Reisner, PhD, is a colonel in the general staff service of the Austrian Armed Forces and well-known to many as a factual military analyst in connection with the Ukraine war. However, in this episode, the focus is not on the geopolitical context, but rather on his personal military experience in the field. 

He shares dramatic experiences in his role as the commander of an international reconnaissance team in Afghanistan and as the responsible staff officer for security in Mali in the FEARLESS PATCHED Podcast (featured image: Reisner in Mali, 2nd from left). But above all, he discusses his deployment as the commanding officer of the Austrian hunting command in the tri-border area between Chad, Sudan, and the Central African Republic. The mission of the Armed Forces together with other special forces included protecting the local population from attacks by armed militias. 

The conversation provides an unfiltered insight into the reality of modern foreign missions: the threat of explosive devices, attacks on military installations, complex leadership responsibilities under time pressure – and the human burdens that such missions entail. To conclude, Colonel Reisner talks about the often-overlooked fates of Ukrainian soldiers at the front – and the challenges for soldiers to operate in a post-heroic society that often struggles with military reality. Trigger warning: Reports on explosive devices, explosions, and their effects on soldiers in the field

“The War Declarer” – the Markus Reisner portrait in “loyal,” the magazine of the Bundeswehr Reservist Association.