Diverse Security Threats: Expert Emphasizes the Importance of Personal Responsibility in Vienna

"Because we are still doing very well and have been doing so well for many years, we can no longer imagine many things that were much more real 50 years ago," explained the native of Salzburg at the event on Tuesday evening. In contrast, every societal actor needs an awareness that plans for such crisis scenarios must be in place and measures must be taken if necessary.

Security Threats: Vigilance and Diagnosis Instead of Hysteria

Due to the different threats, the expert stated that the concept of security must also be thought of comprehensively. For example, the protection of critical infrastructures and the preparation for so-called hybrid threats - that is, the attempt by state and non-state actors to influence a society through disinformation - are very closely linked. "A state must be prepared for this nowadays, even if, like Germany and Austria, it is not directly involved in military actions," said Kern.

"It is important not to become hysterical despite all this, but to look at certain things a bit more vigilantly and diagnostically," Kern continued. In this, science can make a significant contribution. It provides data, for example, that helps analyze threats and offers a basis for evaluation as well as possible measures.

Do Not "Badmouth" Austrian Strengths

In this country, we are generally well-positioned in this area. "But it is an Austrian problem that we talk down our strengths. We should also emphasize what we are good at," said Kern. An example of positive development is seen by the expert in the Disaster Competence Network Austria (DCNA), a collaboration of 26 research institutions that work together with practitioners on issues related to crisis and disaster management. Additionally, a good framework was set with the appointment of the national security advisor to the federal government last year.

However, there is a need for improvement in overcoming "sectoral thinking." "This means that there will no longer be, for example, one plan for energy supply and another plan for the ÖBB, but rather the dependencies will be more strongly considered," explained Kern. Because a power outage has strong cascading effects that need to be considered on a nationwide level.

Interference with the Basics of Life as a Worst-Case Scenario

Societal worst-case scenarios include, for example, a blackout of the energy supply, but also failures of the drinking water supply or sewage systems. "These are the situations that the population immediately notices and that interfere with the basics of life," said Kern. Therefore, they offer actors the opportunity to effectively wear down a society.

In addition, cyberattacks and disinformation campaigns on social media are central threats. Less known is the theft of research results and technologies. This form of espionage in universities and research institutions is closely linked to "dual-use," meaning goods or technologies that can be used both militarily and civilly, even if they were never intended for military purposes. "In this context, every researcher today has the responsibility to think about what would happen if results fell into the wrong hands," said Kern.

(APA/Red.)

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