At night alone in the department store: Special Forces against terror

Terrorists storm a concert in a shopping center in Simmering, shoot visitors, take hostages, people run away in panic. Nevertheless, the Simmering shopping center has not been this secure in a long time. Because the scenario was the assumption of military and police special forces from six countries in Vienna on the night of Wednesday. At a CJSOCT workshop (Combined Joint Special Operations Counter Terrorism), cooperation in the urban environment was trained. With the Jagdkommando at the forefront …

Realistic Exercise Scenario

This is a very realistic scenario, emphasized Defense Minister Mario Kunasek and Colonel Horst Hofer, the commander of the Jagdkommando. The exercise was led by the Jagdkommando with 30 soldiers, and there were 50 international special forces - military experts from Poland, Denmark, Sweden, and the USA, as well as police units from Germany and Denmark - involved.

Left the commander of the Jagdkommando, Colonel Horst Hofer, in the middle the Austrian Defense Minister Mario Kunasek. On the right, a soldier of the Jagdkommando in full, new gear: the Multicam uniform is from Claw Gear. Also interesting is his StG77: Aimpoint Micro mounted far forward, VarioRay laser-light module from Rheinmetall and an mounted AUG handguard, also from Claw Gear.

At around 10:00 pm, masked terrorists stormed the event on the upper floor of the Simmering shopping center. Numerous shots were heard, panic broke out, survivors and perpetrators ran to various levels of the building. With several hostages, the terrorists barricaded themselves in a store. The exact situation was initially unclear for the special forces, as well as how many attackers there were.

Medics in action. Military paramedics took care of the first aid for the wounded. Also interesting here: an individually configured StG77 with the A2 Rail (presumably in M1 Receiver), high mounted Aimpoint Micro, also AUG Handguard from Claw Gear. Apparently individual weapon light mounted in front.

The officers had to secure the surroundings, assess the situation, and react accordingly. They quickly stormed the store, neutralizing the attackers. Military paramedics took care of the first aid for the wounded, who exhibited typical injury patterns after terrorist attacks. When the situation was under control, Austrian Red Cross rescue teams arrived and transported the injured individuals.

Training in Shopping Center

Since last week, the special forces have been training in Vienna, Lower Austria, and Burgenland to improve their cooperation, and the workshop will continue until Friday. They are rehearsing "as many imaginable scenarios and those that have already happened in a similar form in reality," according to Colonel Hofer. For the first time, the special forces had the opportunity to train in a shopping center in an urban area under real conditions. This training opportunity is not available every day, and Minister Kunasek expressed his gratitude to the owners of the shopping center. Various scenarios were practiced until 4:00 am.

80 Officers from Six Countries Involved

"We all learn from each other, no one is better or worse, but there are different approaches," explains Colonel Hofer. The communication among soldiers and policemen was conducted in English. "Everyone tries to take the best of everything for themselves," said Hofer. The Jagdkommando adapts its procedures and processes continuously to the current perceived threats.

The AUSTRIAN ARMED FORCES on the Internet: www.bundesheer.at

The JAGDKOMMANDO on the Internet: http://jagdkommando.bundesheer.at

Training was conducted on all levels of the Simmering shopping center. Here you can also see the new Jagdkommando uniform in Multicam by Claw Gear.