The present report is the product of a joint Austrian-Swedish study group set up in 1996 by the Austrian National Defence Academy (NDA; Landesverteidigungs-akademie) and the Swedish National Defence College (NDC; Försvarshögskolan) with the aim to analyse the strategic positions of the two countries – similarities and differences – in their respective regions, as members of the European Union and with regard to their relationship to the emerging European security system, most directly to NATO and NATO enlargement.

For some 25 years, the Austrian and Swedish Armed Forces have maintained contact in different areas such as planning, arms acquisition, organization, and maintenance. In 1972, the Defence Ministers of the two countries signed a contract, subsequently updated in 1992, which specified forms and areas of cooperation between Austria and Sweden.

The analysis presented in this report is intended as background information and input into the present strategic debate in the two countries about the developing security political situation in Europe and about national policies in response thereto.

The study group first met in Gotland (Sweden) in May 1997, where a first draft of the report was discussed; after the signing of the NATO-Russian Treaty on May 27 and after last summer's meetings of the European Union (Amsterdam) and of NATO (Madrid), a second study group meeting took place at Alpbach (Austria) in August 1997. The final drafting of the report was done in November 1997.

The members of the study group have been:

for Austria:

General Ernest König (NDA)
Director General DDr Erich Reiter (Ministry of Defence)
Brigadier General Maximilian Frühstück (Ministry of Defence)

for Sweden:

Professor Bo Huldt
Colonel Lennart Uller
Dr. Nicolaus Rockberger (all of the NDC)

The following experts (in alphabetical order) have been associated with the study group:

Colonel Joachim Collin (Military Headquarters; Sweden)
Brigadier General Rune Hall (Swedish Embassy, Vienna)
Magister Peter Kustor (Ministry of Defence, Vienna)
Ambassador Curt Lidgard (Swedish Foreign Service, ret.)
Captain Magister Gunther Trattnig (NDA)
Lieutenant Colonel Reinhard Trischak (Ministry of Defence, Vienna)