On March 20, the Austrian Ambassador to the United Nations, Ambassador Alexander Marschik, and the Austrian Maj. Gen. Juergen Ortner visited the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. As part of the visit, they were guest lecturers to all of the LG204 classes on a wide range of topics including Austrian history, security policy, the UN, the Austrian perspective on neutrality and Austrian military partnerships.
The cadets learned a lot about the security perspective from the Austrian viewpoint and about Austrian culture. It was a great chance for the cadets to experience the viewpoint on security from someone else’s perspective, which is a skill that will be valuable for any future officer conducting multinational operations.
During the lecture, Ortner and the ambassador were able to meet with Class of 2026 Cadet Alexander Domittner whose family stems from Austria, which is a great example of the international nature of West Point’s Corps of Cadets.
After the guest lecture, our guests continued on to a briefing from the Dean’s staff given by Brent Matthews, the head of West Point’s international programs. This was followed by a tour of the phenomenal DPE facilities in which the guests got to observe cadets in boxing, combatives and in survival swim classes. These classes are a must see for visitors to West Point so that they understand the unique mixture of academic, military and physical classes that cadets must accomplish over four years at the academy.
The visit ended with a meeting with the superintendent and a beautiful historical tour. It was a great visit and awesome for cadet development.