Assumption of command

New commander over Austria’s airspace

Brigadier Roman Hofer (left) at the ceremony(Bild: HBF/Carina Karlovits)

Brigadier Roman Hofer (left) is the new commander of Austria's airspace surveillance. He took over from Colonel Markus Kronreif today. The command is based in the Schwarzenberg barracks in Salzburg.

At a military ceremony attended by numerous festive and honorary guests, the insignia of airspace surveillance was handed over from Colonel Markus Kronreif to Brigadier Roman Hofer as a visible sign of the assumption of command.

Brigadier Roman Hofer is taking over a unit he is familiar with. He started there in 2000 as a young officer and worked in the operations center in St. Johann in Pongau. After successfully completing the 18th General Staff Course (2007-2010), he was assigned to the Armed Forces Command in Salzburg (2010-2012), NATO Headquarters in Brussels (2012-2017) and the Federal Ministry of Defense (2018-2020 and 2022-2024). He also completed the Master of Strategic Studies program at the Air War College in Montgomery, Alabama, USA, from 2021 to 2022. He was already active in airspace surveillance again from 2020 to 2021 as commander of the radar battalion.

The "Airspace Surveillance" unit is tasked with ensuring air sovereignty in Austrian territory to protect the Austrian population and preserve the sovereignty of the Republic of Austria.