In the Götzendorf barracks, Austria's Defense Minister Klaudia Tanner (ÖVP) bid farewell to 100 soldiers who will be on duty in Lebanon as part of a UN mission. At the same time, a minute's silence was held for fallen blue helmets.

"In the past 60 years, more than 100.000 soldiers and civilian helpers in over 100 international peace support and humanitarian missions have made an indispensable Austrian contribution to peace in the world. Austria helps and ensures stability where crises arise or have already broken out. I would like to thank all the soldiers and civilian helpers who are actively involved in world peace in very challenging situations – often at the risk of their lives. They are the ones who carry Austria's reputation as a reliable peacekeeper to countries affected by disasters, war or devastation," said Defense Minister Klaudia Tanner.

The 100 soldiers come from all over Austria: 24 come from Lower Austria, 19 from Styria, 14 from Vienna, 13 each from Upper Austria and Tyrol, seven each from Carinthia and Salzburg, two from Burgenland and one soldier from Vorarlberg. In the Austrian contingent, three women are deployed as deputy commander of the construction pioneer group, as an economic non-commissioned officer and as a driver for buses. The rotation contingent consists of 79 professional soldiers and 21 members of the militia.

The soldiers provide the "Multi Role Logistic Unit", a transport unit for logistical operations at UNIFIL. This ensures the transport of people and material, the repair of vehicles and the supply of fuel to the UN troops. Furthermore, the soldiers of the Austrian fire brigade guarantee fire protection in the headquarters.

The Lebanon contingent consists of a total of 183 soldiers, mainly drivers, mechanics, paramedics, logisticians and fire brigade personnel. With more than 100 vehicles, including off-road vehicles, articulated lorries, buses, rescue, fire-fighting and tank vehicles, the Austrian blue helmets are helping to stabilize the situation in Lebanon and create security for the local population.

Since November 2011, the Austrian Armed Forces have been involved in the UNIFIL mission of the United Nations in Lebanon. The deployment of peacekeeping troops in Lebanon is based on UN Resolutions 425 and 426 from 1978 and on UN Resolution 1.701 from 2006. A total of around 11.800 soldiers and 1.000 UN civilian employees from 40 nations are deployed on UNIFIL.