„The Allies 2026“ in Vienna

In the presence of Interior Minister Gerhard Karner, the ATLAS exercise “The Allies 2026” was held on February 12, 2026, at the Vienna Port. During the cross-border exercise, more than 100 special police forces from more than ten countries practiced cooperation and tested a new joint operational system. “Cross-border cooperation between special police units is an essential part of the fight against organized crime,” said the Austrian Minister of the Interior. “Organized criminals and terrorists do not stop at national borders. The exercise involving European special police forces with over 100 special forces impressively demonstrates how important it is for the police to also cooperate professionally across national borders.”

The large-scale, realistic exercise began on February 9, 2026, in Brussels and subsequently spread across several countries, including Austria, where the final scenario took place. In the current scenario, Austria, together with Hungary and Slovakia, trained to defend against a specific attack scenario by an internationally active group of perpetrators on an OMV oil depot in the port of Vienna, in which an imminent attack on the facility had to be prevented.

The aim of this exercise, in which 120 officers from the Cobra task force and dozens of international special forces were also involved in the preparation and implementation, was to strengthen cooperation and ensure the cross-European operational capability of the security authorities. A new operational system with extensive capabilities and cross-border communication interfaces was also used.

The ATLAS exercise in Austria was funded by EUROPOL. A total of €22,550 was made available for the exercise, which was mainly used to cover the costs of fuel, accommodation, and meals.

If you would like to learn more about the ATLAS network and European special police units, we recommend the excellent illustrated book by Christoph Lappay – featured HERE on SPARTANAT.