Us Army Presence In Austria: Fact Or Fiction?

The United States Army was present in Austria from 1945 to 1955, as part of the Allied occupation of the country following World War II. The US zone of occupation included Salzburg and Upper Austria south of the Danube. The US played an essential role in the country's reconstruction and in the Austrian State Treaty, which was signed in 1955 and ended the occupation. Since then, the US and Austria have enjoyed strong relations.

US Army presence in Austria post-World War II

Immediately after World War II, Austria was divided into four occupation zones jointly occupied by the United Kingdom, the Soviet Union, the United States, and France. The US zone included Salzburg and Upper Austria south of the Danube, and a sector in Vienna.

The United States Forces in Austria, led by General Mark Clark, occupied their zone in May 1945, and their sector in Vienna in August 1945. By 1946, the US had some 14,000 soldiers in Austria. Their mission was “to establish a free and independent Austria with a sound economy, capable of ensuring an adequate standard of living.” This included the "denazification" of Austria.

The US Army also contributed to the rebuilding of Austria through aid programs, private donations of CARE packages, and Congressional relief programs. Almost one billion dollars of funds from the European Recovery Program (“Marshall Plan”) were used to rebuild infrastructure and industries, and modernize agriculture.

The US occupation of Austria ended in 1955 when the Austrian State Treaty came into force, and the country was granted full independence.

US aid in Austria's post-war reconstruction

The United States played a crucial role in Austria's post-World War II reconstruction, both through its military presence and economic aid.

US Military Presence in Austria

Following World War II, the US, along with the Soviet Union, Britain, and France, occupied Austria, with each power controlling a separate zone. The US zone included Salzburg and Upper Austria south of the Danube, and, from August 1945, a sector in Vienna. In 1946, the US had around 14,000 soldiers in Austria. Their mission was to establish a free and independent Austria with a sound economy, capable of ensuring an adequate standard of living. This included the "denazification" of Austria. The American occupation forces remained in Austria during the early Cold War until the State Treaty was signed in 1955, providing security and containing the Communist threat to the new nation.

US Economic Aid to Austria

The US provided significant economic aid to Austria through various programs and initiatives, including the Marshall Plan, officially known as the European Recovery Program (ERP). The Marshall Plan was initiated by US Secretary of State George C. Marshall, for whom the plan is named, and aimed to provide economic recovery and reconstruction aid to 16 Western European countries, including Austria, between 1948 and 1952. It was designed to help Western European economies get back on their feet through self-initiative and self-help.

Austria received Marshall Plan aid primarily in the form of goods that were sold in the country. The proceeds from these sales were invested in special accounts, which were then used to grant loans to Austrian commercial enterprises to promote growth, productivity, and employment. The Marshall Plan contributed to the great economic boom in Europe after World War II and may have also saved Austria from division during the early Cold War. It laid the foundations for the European unification process and continues to have an impact on Austria's economy today.

From 1948 to 1953, Austria received USD 962 million from the US as part of the Marshall Plan, which is around USD 9.5 billion in today's value. This amounted to approximately USD 132 per Austrian, and Austria's share of the total Marshall Plan volume was 7.4%. In the first two years of the plan, the focus was on ensuring the survival of the population, with 44.3% of deliveries being food and 23.4% raw materials. In the following years, US aid money was primarily used to rebuild industry and expand the energy supply, with a later shift towards consumer and export goods production and tourism.

In addition to the Marshall Plan, other US aid programs contributed to Austria's post-war reconstruction. Before the Marshall Plan was introduced, massive food supplies came to Austria through the US Government Aid and Relief in Occupied Areas (GARIOA) program. There were also private citizen initiatives, such as CARE packages in 1945/46, and the United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Administration (UNRRA) in 1946, which was primarily funded by the US. From 1945 to 1947, the US financed 88% of Austrian imports, and this figure was still at 57% in 1948. This demonstrates the critical role played by US economic aid before the Marshall Plan in Austria's recovery.

US-Austria relations since the post-World War II period

The United States and Austria have enjoyed strong relations since the post-World War II period. The U.S. played an important role in Austria's reconstruction after World War II, via the Marshall Plan. The U.S. was also heavily involved in post-war reconstruction and development in Austria, spending $300 million in food aid by June 1947.

In April 1948, the United States created the European Recovery Program (ERP), also known as the Marshall Plan, which the Austrian government joined in July 1948. The United States provided $962 million in total ERP funds to Austria over the next five years. The Marshall Plan “lives on” in Austria to this day. In 1961, the U.S. government transferred about one billion in “counterpart funds” to the Austrian government, which established the “ERP-Fonds.” This fund enjoys assets worth almost three billion Euros and is still providing investment funds for innovative projects in the Austrian economy today to the tune of 500 million Euros.

The United States and Austria share many common values and perspectives, including a support for human rights and the rule of law and a shared vision of peace and freedom for all. The two countries are bound together through myriad people-to-people contacts in business and entrepreneurship, the arts, education, and a host of other exchanges.

Vienna has frequently been chosen as the venue of key superpower summit meetings, like the Vienna summit in June 1961, with U.S. President John F. Kennedy and Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev, or the SALT II agreement in June 1979, with U.S. President Jimmy Carter and Soviet General Secretary Leonid Brezhnev.

U.S. and Austrian troops fought side by side during the NATO intervention in Bosnia and Herzegovina and in Kosovo (despite the fact that Austria is not a part of NATO). Both the United States and Austria were involved in the War in Afghanistan.

Austria's current military strength

Austria's military, known as the Austrian Armed Forces or Bundesheer, currently consists of 16,000 active-duty personnel and 125,600 reservists. The military budget is 1.0% of national GDP (including pensions) or €3.317 billion (2023, without pensions).

Austria is ranked 71 out of 145 countries in the 2024 Global Firepower review, with a Power Index score of 1.2351 (a score of 0.0000 is considered perfect). The country has a total population of 8,940,860, with 4,023,387 available manpower and 3,621,048 fit-for-service. The military has an estimated total of 141,600 personnel, including 16,000 active personnel and 125,600 reservists.

The Austrian Armed Forces are divided into three main elements: the standing alert force, the mobile militia, and the stationary militia. The standing alert force consists of career soldiers and eight-month conscripts, while the mobile militia and stationary militia are brought up to strength during mobilisation or training periods. The mobile militia consists of eight mechanised reserve brigades, while the stationary militia consists of twenty-six reserve infantry regiments for territorial defence.

The Austrian Air Force has a strength of approximately 2,500 professionals and 1,000 conscripts, for a total of 3,500. It is responsible for defending Austrian airspace, providing tactical support to ground forces, conducting reconnaissance, and providing military transport and search-and-rescue support when requested by civil authorities.

The Austrian Armed Forces' main purpose is to protect Austria's neutrality, and it has a limited relationship with NATO through the Partnership for Peace programme. The country has declared its neutrality and will never join a military alliance.

Austria's current military presence globally

Austria's military presence globally is limited, as the country has declared itself neutral and does not join military alliances. Currently, Austrian Armed Forces are deployed in Bosnia and Herzegovina, as part of the EUFOR Althea mission. They have been present in the country since 2004, initially as part of SFOR, and their main purpose is to maintain peace and stability in the region.

Historically, Austria has had a military presence in other countries, particularly during World War I and World War II. During WWI, Austro-Hungarian forces were involved in various campaigns and battles, including the Serbian Campaign, the Galicia Campaign, the Battle of Monte Grappa, and the Battle of Piave River. In WWII, following the country's annexation by Germany, many Austrians served in the Wehrmacht and Waffen-SS.

Austria's military, known as the Bundesheer, has about 16,000 active-duty personnel and 125,600 reservists, with a military budget of around €3.317 billion. The air force, considered part of the army, has a squadron of 15 Eurofighter Typhoons and 28 Saab 105 trainers.

In terms of global military strength, Austria ranks 71st out of 145 countries, according to the 2024 Global Firepower review. This ranking takes into account various factors, including manpower, land power, airpower, naval power, and financials.

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