Initiated by the Office of the Defense Attaché, Ambassador Martin Weiss had the opportunity to pay a visit to the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland, on October 28, 2020. Accompanied by Major General Jürgen Ortner, the Austrian Defense Attaché to the USA and his team as well as other members of the Embassy, the visit started with an office call with the Superintendent of the Naval Academy, Vice-Admiral Sean Buck. This was followed by a guided tour across the campus of the Academy which offered the attendees to gain insight into the training processes and the philosophy of this prestigious institution.

On the basis of a recently signed Memorandum of Understanding between the U.S. Department of Defense and the Federal Ministry of Defense of the Republic of Austria, cadets of the Austrian Maria Theresan Military Academy will be able to participate in a “Cadet/Midshipmen Semester Exchange Program”. Austria is the 12th country to engage in this specific reciprocal student exchange program with the U.S. Naval Academy.

The first Austrian cadets will spend a semester at the U.S. Naval Academy in fall 2021, while Midshipmen of the Naval Academy are going to join the training of the Austrian cadets at the Military Academy in Wiener Neustadt.

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