EKO Cobra: Difference between revisions
m →Organization: Fixed missing space |
m Task 18 (cosmetic): eval 11 templates: del empty params (1×); hyphenate params (13×); |
||
| Line 54: | Line 54: | ||
==History== |
==History== |
||
[[File:EKO Cobra1.jpg|thumb|left|Two members of EKO Cobra in operational loadout (historic).]] |
[[File:EKO Cobra1.jpg|thumb|left|Two members of EKO Cobra in operational loadout (historic).]] |
||
The roots of the EKO Cobra lie in the ''Gendarmerieeinsatzkommando Bad Vöslau'' that was originally formed by the regional police authority of [[Lower Austria]] to protect [[East European Jews]] during their migration via Austria to Israel against terrorist threats. As the tactical skills of this unit were welcome in other fields, too, the mission of the ''Gendarmerieeinsatzkommando'' became broader in the course of years, and it climbed the hierarchy, from being a regional unit to becoming assigned directly to the ''Generaldirektion für öffentliche Sicherheit'', the leading authority for [[public security]] within the Ministry of the Interior.<ref name="Gendarmeriekommando">{{cite journal |url=https://www.academia.edu/4142145 |title=Vom "Gendarmeriekommando Bad Vöslau" zur "Cobra": Der Aufbau der Österreichischen Antiterrorkräfte |trans-title=From the "Gendarmeriekommando Bad Vöslau" to the "Cobra": The Build-Up of Austria’s Counterterrorism Forces |first=Thomas |last=Riegler |journal=Journal for Intelligence, Propaganda and Security Studies |volume=7 |number=1 |year=2013 |pages=116–138 | |
The roots of the EKO Cobra lie in the ''Gendarmerieeinsatzkommando Bad Vöslau'' that was originally formed by the regional police authority of [[Lower Austria]] to protect [[East European Jews]] during their migration via Austria to Israel against terrorist threats. As the tactical skills of this unit were welcome in other fields, too, the mission of the ''Gendarmerieeinsatzkommando'' became broader in the course of years, and it climbed the hierarchy, from being a regional unit to becoming assigned directly to the ''Generaldirektion für öffentliche Sicherheit'', the leading authority for [[public security]] within the Ministry of the Interior.<ref name="Gendarmeriekommando">{{cite journal |url=https://www.academia.edu/4142145 |title=Vom "Gendarmeriekommando Bad Vöslau" zur "Cobra": Der Aufbau der Österreichischen Antiterrorkräfte |trans-title=From the "Gendarmeriekommando Bad Vöslau" to the "Cobra": The Build-Up of Austria’s Counterterrorism Forces |first=Thomas |last=Riegler |journal=Journal for Intelligence, Propaganda and Security Studies |volume=7 |number=1 |year=2013 |pages=116–138 |access-date=28 December 2017 |language=de}}</ref> |
||
The name ''Cobra'' was coined by the press. It was a reference to the US TV series ''[[Mission: Impossible (1966 TV series)|Mission: Impossible]]'' that was aired in German under the title ''Kobra, übernehmen Sie''. It first appeared in June 1973 in the ''[[Kronen Zeitung]]''.<ref name="Gendarmeriekommando"/> |
The name ''Cobra'' was coined by the press. It was a reference to the US TV series ''[[Mission: Impossible (1966 TV series)|Mission: Impossible]]'' that was aired in German under the title ''Kobra, übernehmen Sie''. It first appeared in June 1973 in the ''[[Kronen Zeitung]]''.<ref name="Gendarmeriekommando"/> |
||
| Line 69: | Line 69: | ||
In the course of the [[2006 Lebanon War]] EKO Cobra assisted in the evacuation of Austrians and other EU citizens from Lebanon.<ref>http://www.oe-journal.at/Aktuelles/!2006/0806/W1/20408bmi.htm</ref> |
In the course of the [[2006 Lebanon War]] EKO Cobra assisted in the evacuation of Austrians and other EU citizens from Lebanon.<ref>http://www.oe-journal.at/Aktuelles/!2006/0806/W1/20408bmi.htm</ref> |
||
135 EKO Cobra operatives together with units of the [[Austrian Armed Forces]] were involved in the search for Alois Huber in the [[2013 Annaberg shooting|Annaberg shooting]], who killed three police officers and one [[Red Cross]] [[Emergency medical technician|EMT]] on 17 September 2013, in Lower Austria.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Loinig |first1=Matthias |title=Charred body of Austrian gunman found in bunker of house |url=http://austriantimes.at/image/37609/news/General_News/2013-09-18/49835/Charred_body_of__Austrian_gunman_found_in_bunker_of_house_ |newspaper=[[Austrian Times]] | |
135 EKO Cobra operatives together with units of the [[Austrian Armed Forces]] were involved in the search for Alois Huber in the [[2013 Annaberg shooting|Annaberg shooting]], who killed three police officers and one [[Red Cross]] [[Emergency medical technician|EMT]] on 17 September 2013, in Lower Austria.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Loinig |first1=Matthias |title=Charred body of Austrian gunman found in bunker of house |url=http://austriantimes.at/image/37609/news/General_News/2013-09-18/49835/Charred_body_of__Austrian_gunman_found_in_bunker_of_house_ |newspaper=[[Austrian Times]] |access-date=9 February 2015 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150210000353/http://austriantimes.at/image/37609/news/General_News/2013-09-18/49835/Charred_body_of__Austrian_gunman_found_in_bunker_of_house_ |archive-date=10 February 2015}}</ref> |
||
In 2016, 42 officers supported the German Police in the [[2016 Munich shooting|Munich shooting]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://tirol.orf.at/news/stories/2787303/ |title=Tiroler Cobra-Beamte in München im Einsatz |trans-title=Tyrolean Cobra officers in action in Munich |date=23 July 2016 |website=[[ORF (broadcaster)|ORF]] | |
In 2016, 42 officers supported the German Police in the [[2016 Munich shooting|Munich shooting]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://tirol.orf.at/news/stories/2787303/ |title=Tiroler Cobra-Beamte in München im Einsatz |trans-title=Tyrolean Cobra officers in action in Munich |date=23 July 2016 |website=[[ORF (broadcaster)|ORF]] |access-date=28 December 2017 |language=de}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://diepresse.com/home/ausland/aussenpolitik/5055979/42-CobraBeamte-in-Muenchen-im-Einsatz |title=42 Cobra-Beamte in München im Einsatz |trans-title=42 Cobra officers in action in Munich |date=23 July 2016 |newspaper=[[Die Presse]] |access-date=28 December 2017 |language=de}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |url=http://www.bmi.gv.at/magazinfiles/2017/05_06/files/sondereinheiten.pdf |first=Gregor |last=Wenda |title=Gemeinsame Terrorbekämpfung |trans-title=Joint Counter-Terrorism |journal=Sondereinheiten |publisher=[[Federal Ministry of the Interior (Austria)|Federal Ministry of the Interior]] |date=2017 |pages=11–16 |access-date=28 December 2017 |language=de}}</ref> |
||
In 2017, 20 EKO Cobra operatives were directly involved to end the severe riots in the [[Schanzenviertel]] area during the [[2017 G20 Hamburg summit|G20 Hamburg summit]], three operatives were wounded.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.morgenpost.de/politik/article211177971/Oesterreichische-Cobra-im-Einsatz.html |title=Österreichische "Cobra" im Einsatz |first1=Christian |last1=Unger |first2=Julia |last2=Emmrich |date=9 July 2017 |newspaper=[[Berliner Morgenpost]] | |
In 2017, 20 EKO Cobra operatives were directly involved to end the severe riots in the [[Schanzenviertel]] area during the [[2017 G20 Hamburg summit|G20 Hamburg summit]], three operatives were wounded.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.morgenpost.de/politik/article211177971/Oesterreichische-Cobra-im-Einsatz.html |title=Österreichische "Cobra" im Einsatz |first1=Christian |last1=Unger |first2=Julia |last2=Emmrich |date=9 July 2017 |newspaper=[[Berliner Morgenpost]] |access-date=28 December 2017 |language=de}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://diepresse.com/home/ausland/aussenpolitik/5248761/Drei-Oesterreicher-verletzt_Deutsche-Polizei-fuerchtet-neue |title=Drei Österreicher verletzt: Deutsche Polizei fürchtet neue Eskalation |newspaper=Die Presse |access-date=28 December 2017 |language=de}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://kurier.at/politik/ausland/g-20-cobra-und-wega-an-vorderster-front/274.559.796 |title=G-20: Cobra und Wega "an vorderster Front" |first=Stefan |last=Hofer |date=11 July 2017 |newspaper=[[Kurier]] |access-date=28 December 2017 |language=de}}</ref> |
||
EKO Cobra also is assisting in the manhunt of the remaining suspect who was involved in the [[2020 Vienna attack]]. <ref>https://www.vindobona.org/article/terror-attack-in-vienna-perpetrator-was-sympathizer-of-the-islamic-state</ref> |
EKO Cobra also is assisting in the manhunt of the remaining suspect who was involved in the [[2020 Vienna attack]]. <ref>https://www.vindobona.org/article/terror-attack-in-vienna-perpetrator-was-sympathizer-of-the-islamic-state</ref> |
||
| Line 85: | Line 85: | ||
Upon successful completion of the tests the recruits attend 6 months of specialized training which includes marksmanship, tactical training, sports, driver courses, abseiling/rappelling, hand-to-hand combat, language classes, etc. Besides the courses taught in the basic training, further specialization is possible in fields, such as parachuting, diving, explosives, or sniping.<ref name="Spiegel-TV Reportage">Spiegel TV Spezial: ''Einsatzkommando Cobra - Ausbildung einer Elite-Einheit.'' Fernsehreportage, 2006.</ref> |
Upon successful completion of the tests the recruits attend 6 months of specialized training which includes marksmanship, tactical training, sports, driver courses, abseiling/rappelling, hand-to-hand combat, language classes, etc. Besides the courses taught in the basic training, further specialization is possible in fields, such as parachuting, diving, explosives, or sniping.<ref name="Spiegel-TV Reportage">Spiegel TV Spezial: ''Einsatzkommando Cobra - Ausbildung einer Elite-Einheit.'' Fernsehreportage, 2006.</ref> |
||
Since its establishment in 1978, 1,140 officers have served in EKO Cobra.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.bmi.gv.at/cms/BMI_OeffentlicheSicherheit/2008/05_06/files/30_Jahre_Eko_Cobra.pdf |title=30 Jahre "Cobra" |website=Federal Ministry of the Interior |date |
Since its establishment in 1978, 1,140 officers have served in EKO Cobra.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.bmi.gv.at/cms/BMI_OeffentlicheSicherheit/2008/05_06/files/30_Jahre_Eko_Cobra.pdf |title=30 Jahre "Cobra" |website=Federal Ministry of the Interior |access-date=1 August 2012 |language=de}}</ref> |
||
==Organization== |
==Organization== |
||
| Line 91: | Line 91: | ||
The unit's headquarters is located in [[Wiener Neustadt]] ([[Lower Austria]]). It performs all administrative activities and the training for the EKO Cobra officers. Further departments exist in Vienna, Graz, Linz, and Innsbruck with small field offices in Klagenfurt, Salzburg, and Feldkirch. |
The unit's headquarters is located in [[Wiener Neustadt]] ([[Lower Austria]]). It performs all administrative activities and the training for the EKO Cobra officers. Further departments exist in Vienna, Graz, Linz, and Innsbruck with small field offices in Klagenfurt, Salzburg, and Feldkirch. |
||
Each department contains four teams and each field office contains two. This structure allows the units to be deployed anywhere in Austria in under 70 minutes.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.faz.net/s/Rub77CAECAE94D7431F9EACD163751D4CFD/Doc~E6D884ACEEFC148CCB67BF2E7866D53E5~ATpl~Ecommon~Scontent.html |title=Österreichische Sondereinheit: Cobra, übernehmen Sie! |newspaper=[[Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung]] |date=26 July 2011 | |
Each department contains four teams and each field office contains two. This structure allows the units to be deployed anywhere in Austria in under 70 minutes.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.faz.net/s/Rub77CAECAE94D7431F9EACD163751D4CFD/Doc~E6D884ACEEFC148CCB67BF2E7866D53E5~ATpl~Ecommon~Scontent.html |title=Österreichische Sondereinheit: Cobra, übernehmen Sie! |newspaper=[[Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung]] |date=26 July 2011 |access-date=26 July 2012 |language=de}}</ref> |
||
On 1 April 2013, EKO Cobra was merged in the newly established Special Operations Directorate - DSE (''Direktion für Spezialeinheiten ''). This organisation serves as a unified command for the units with special tasks of the [[Federal Police (Austria)|Austrian Federal Police]]. |
On 1 April 2013, EKO Cobra was merged in the newly established Special Operations Directorate - DSE (''Direktion für Spezialeinheiten ''). This organisation serves as a unified command for the units with special tasks of the [[Federal Police (Austria)|Austrian Federal Police]]. |
||
| Line 262: | Line 262: | ||
==Annual Warrior Competition== |
==Annual Warrior Competition== |
||
EKO Cobra competed in the 2011 [[Annual Warrior Competition]] winning top honors.<ref name="warriorcompetition.com">{{cite web |url=http://warriorcompetition.com/Pages/viewpage.aspx?pageID=25&ID=50 |title=3rd Annual Warrior Competition Event, 2011 |website=Warrior Competition | |
EKO Cobra competed in the 2011 [[Annual Warrior Competition]] winning top honors.<ref name="warriorcompetition.com">{{cite web |url=http://warriorcompetition.com/Pages/viewpage.aspx?pageID=25&ID=50 |title=3rd Annual Warrior Competition Event, 2011 |website=Warrior Competition |access-date=28 December 2017}}</ref> EKO Cobra defeated a [[United States Marine Corps]] [[13th Marine Expeditionary Unit|13th MEU]] and a joint team from [[U.S. Army Special Forces]] [[5th Special Forces Group (United States)|5th Group]] and [[Joint Special Operations Command (Jordan)|Jordan SFG 101]] among many others.<ref name="warriorcompetition.com"/> |
||
==References== |
==References== |
||
Revision as of 09:53, 2 January 2021
| Einsatzkommando Cobra (German) | |
|---|---|
.svg) Patch of EKO Cobra | |
| Active | 1978-present |
| Country | Austria |
| Agency | Federal Ministry of the Interior |
| Type | Police tactical unit |
| Role | Counter-terrorism Law enforcement |
| Headquarters | Wiener Neustadt, Austria |
| Common name | EKO Cobra |
| Structure | |
| Operators | 450 |
EKO Cobra (Template:Lang-de) is the police tactical unit of the Austrian Federal Ministry of the Interior. EKO Cobra is not part of the Austrian Federal Police, but instead is directly under the control of the Federal Ministry of the Interior.
History
The roots of the EKO Cobra lie in the Gendarmerieeinsatzkommando Bad Vöslau that was originally formed by the regional police authority of Lower Austria to protect East European Jews during their migration via Austria to Israel against terrorist threats. As the tactical skills of this unit were welcome in other fields, too, the mission of the Gendarmerieeinsatzkommando became broader in the course of years, and it climbed the hierarchy, from being a regional unit to becoming assigned directly to the Generaldirektion für öffentliche Sicherheit, the leading authority for public security within the Ministry of the Interior.[1]
The name Cobra was coined by the press. It was a reference to the US TV series Mission: Impossible that was aired in German under the title Kobra, übernehmen Sie. It first appeared in June 1973 in the Kronen Zeitung.[1]
The determining step of founding today's Cobra as a unit of the Ministry of the Interior rather than a regional police unit was done in 1978, primarily as a response to the Munich massacre attack on Israeli athletes at the 1972 Munich Olympics. Its main office is in Wiener Neustadt, with sub-offices in Graz, Linz, Salzburg, and Innsbruck.
The Federal Ministry of the Interior changed the unit's name from GEK to EKO Cobra in 2002.
The 450 men[citation needed] of EKO Cobra have trained with some[which?] of the most elite special forces units.
Known operations
EKO Cobra was involved in a hostage rescue in the Graz-Karlau Prison in 1996, and numerous other operations. Although it has never participated in the same type of hostage rescue operations that the HRT, GIGN, GIS, NSG, ERU, GSG 9, and the SAS have had, the EKO Cobra is the only Counter-Terrorism unit to end a hijacking while the aircraft was still in the air. On 17 October 1996, four Cobra officers were on board an Aeroflot Tupolev Tu-154 escorting deported prisoners to Lagos when a Nigerian man threatened the cockpit crew with a knife and demanded a diversion to Germany or South Africa. The team overpowered the man and handed him over to authorities after landing.[2]
In the course of the 2006 Lebanon War EKO Cobra assisted in the evacuation of Austrians and other EU citizens from Lebanon.[3]
135 EKO Cobra operatives together with units of the Austrian Armed Forces were involved in the search for Alois Huber in the Annaberg shooting, who killed three police officers and one Red Cross EMT on 17 September 2013, in Lower Austria.[4]
In 2016, 42 officers supported the German Police in the Munich shooting.[5][6][7]
In 2017, 20 EKO Cobra operatives were directly involved to end the severe riots in the Schanzenviertel area during the G20 Hamburg summit, three operatives were wounded.[8][9][10]
EKO Cobra also is assisting in the manhunt of the remaining suspect who was involved in the 2020 Vienna attack. [11]
Recruitment and training
Any member of the Austrian Federal Police may apply to the EKO Cobra. The tests consist of medical examinations, psychological tests, and vigorous physical tests. Upon successful completion of the tests the recruits attend 6 months of specialized training which includes marksmanship, tactical training, sports, driver courses, abseiling/rappelling, hand-to-hand combat, language classes, etc. Besides the courses taught in the basic training, further specialization is possible in fields, such as parachuting, diving, explosives, or sniping.[12]
Since its establishment in 1978, 1,140 officers have served in EKO Cobra.[13]
Organization
The unit's headquarters is located in Wiener Neustadt (Lower Austria). It performs all administrative activities and the training for the EKO Cobra officers. Further departments exist in Vienna, Graz, Linz, and Innsbruck with small field offices in Klagenfurt, Salzburg, and Feldkirch.
Each department contains four teams and each field office contains two. This structure allows the units to be deployed anywhere in Austria in under 70 minutes.[14]
On 1 April 2013, EKO Cobra was merged in the newly established Special Operations Directorate - DSE (Direktion für Spezialeinheiten ). This organisation serves as a unified command for the units with special tasks of the Austrian Federal Police. Further units of the DSE are the police's bomb disposal units, the obersvation units and special investigative units.[15]
Equipment
Weapons
EKO Cobra is armed mainly with Austrian weaponry, but sometimes foreign-produced arms are used too.
.png){kind=spacer}
.jpg){kind=spacer}
Special equipment
EKO Cobra use a variety of equipment designed for a variety of situations.
- Protective gear made of kevlar or ceramic
- Balaclavas
- Camouflage suits
- Tonfa batons
- OC sprays
Uniforms
EKO Cobra officers wear the uniform of the Austrian Federal Police with certain modifications:
- Maroon beret to indicate their elite status
- The unit's insignia is worn instead of the police insignia
- The rank insignia's background is black instead of red as from the regular Federal Police uniforms
During tactical operations the officers wear green or black coveralls along with their tactical gear.
Annual Warrior Competition
EKO Cobra competed in the 2011 Annual Warrior Competition winning top honors.[16] EKO Cobra defeated a United States Marine Corps 13th MEU and a joint team from U.S. Army Special Forces 5th Group and Jordan SFG 101 among many others.[16]
References
- ^ a b Riegler, Thomas (2013). "Vom "Gendarmeriekommando Bad Vöslau" zur "Cobra": Der Aufbau der Österreichischen Antiterrorkräfte" [From the "Gendarmeriekommando Bad Vöslau" to the "Cobra": The Build-Up of Austria’s Counterterrorism Forces]. Journal for Intelligence, Propaganda and Security Studies (in German). 7 (1): 116–138. Retrieved 28 December 2017.
- ^ https://www.bmi.gv.at/207/Publikationen/files/Air_Marshals.pdf
- ^ http://www.oe-journal.at/Aktuelles/!2006/0806/W1/20408bmi.htm
- ^ Loinig, Matthias. "Charred body of Austrian gunman found in bunker of house". Austrian Times. Archived from the original on 10 February 2015. Retrieved 9 February 2015.
- ^ "Tiroler Cobra-Beamte in München im Einsatz" [Tyrolean Cobra officers in action in Munich]. ORF (in German). 23 July 2016. Retrieved 28 December 2017.
- ^ "42 Cobra-Beamte in München im Einsatz" [42 Cobra officers in action in Munich]. Die Presse (in German). 23 July 2016. Retrieved 28 December 2017.
- ^ Wenda, Gregor (2017). "Gemeinsame Terrorbekämpfung" [Joint Counter-Terrorism] (PDF). Sondereinheiten (in German). Federal Ministry of the Interior: 11–16. Retrieved 28 December 2017.
- ^ Unger, Christian; Emmrich, Julia (9 July 2017). "Österreichische "Cobra" im Einsatz". Berliner Morgenpost (in German). Retrieved 28 December 2017.
- ^ "Drei Österreicher verletzt: Deutsche Polizei fürchtet neue Eskalation". Die Presse (in German). Retrieved 28 December 2017.
- ^ Hofer, Stefan (11 July 2017). "G-20: Cobra und Wega "an vorderster Front"". Kurier (in German). Retrieved 28 December 2017.
- ^ https://www.vindobona.org/article/terror-attack-in-vienna-perpetrator-was-sympathizer-of-the-islamic-state
- ^ Spiegel TV Spezial: Einsatzkommando Cobra - Ausbildung einer Elite-Einheit. Fernsehreportage, 2006.
- ^ "30 Jahre "Cobra"" (PDF). Federal Ministry of the Interior (in German). Retrieved 1 August 2012.
- ^ "Österreichische Sondereinheit: Cobra, übernehmen Sie!". Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (in German). 26 July 2011. Retrieved 26 July 2012.
- ^ https://www.bmi.gv.at/207/start.aspx
- ^ a b "3rd Annual Warrior Competition Event, 2011". Warrior Competition. Retrieved 28 December 2017.
External links
- (in German) Official website
