Foreign Minister Beate Meinl-Reisinger announced the creation of a “Center of Excellence to Combat Foreign Information Manipulation.” / Picture: © BMEIA/ Michael Gruber
The Finnish “European Center of Excellence for Countering Hybrid Threats” (Hybrid CoE) in Helsinki serves as a model. Meinl-Reisinger visited the facility in August, as reported by Vindobona.org. Founded in 2017, the center analyzes hybrid threats around the clock and now has 35 partner countries—including Austria, which joined in 2018.
In her speech to the Federal Council, Meinl-Reisinger warned of growing “global disorder” and emphasized that Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine has long since reached Central Europe as well. A “shadow war” is directly affecting Europe and Austria. As concrete examples, she cited past cyberattacks by Russian groups on the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Carinthian provincial administration. The government intends to counter the targeted influence of foreign actors by strengthening media literacy and protecting state institutions.
Debate on Neutrality and International Security
The foreign minister’s plans met with a mixed reception in the Federal Council and sparked a fundamental debate on Austria’s security and foreign policy. Representatives of the People’s Party underscored the need for strong European cooperation. Günther Ruprecht (ÖVP) emphasized that neutrality by no means implies passivity or silence in the face of violations of international law. He also called for an active neighborhood policy in the Western Balkans to ensure the region’s stability. The Social Democrats advocated for a broader definition of security. Claudia Arpa (SPÖ) pointed out that foreign policy has a direct impact on citizens’ wallets, for example when it comes to energy prices. Dominik Reisinger (SPÖ) demanded that hybrid threats be clearly enshrined in the new security strategy.
Sharp criticism came from the Freedom Party. Peter Samt and Sandra Jäckel (FPÖ) emphasized permanent neutrality as Austria’s “shield” and warned against integration into NATO or EU military structures. The opposition party also viewed the plans to combat disinformation with skepticism: FPÖ lawmakers warned of a potential “censorship tool against dissenters.”
NEOS itself and the Greens welcomed the chosen course as well as Austria’s upcoming role as a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council. Julia Deutsch (NEOS) noted that Austria cannot remain uninvolved in global conflicts. Elisabeth Kittl (Greens) called not only for action against autonomous weapons systems and disinformation but also for greater integration of climate policy into the global security agenda.
How does the Finnish center work?
The Hybrid CoE functions as a network hub. Rather than being an independent operational intelligence agency with thousands of employees, the Secretariat in Helsinki brings together civilian and military experts as well as a global network of over 3,000 contacts from both the professional and academic communities.
The Center organizes its work primarily into three thematic focus networks (“Communities of Interest”). On the one hand, the focus is on Hybrid Influence, including the study of information manipulation, disinformation, and covert influence operations. Naturally, another focus is on Strategy and Defense, analyzing hybrid warfare, military interdependencies, and security policy strategies. A third, very important focus is on Vulnerabilities and Resilience, identifying vulnerabilities in democracy, the economy, and infrastructure, as well as strengthening societal resilience.
The Hybrid CoE covers a broad spectrum of measures to fortify democracies against foreign threats. The center continuously analyzes hybrid threats—such as cyberattacks on critical infrastructure, disinformation campaigns, or economic blackmail—and publishes reports and handbooks for decision-makers. It conducts crisis and crisis management team exercises (tabletop exercises). In these exercises, countries and organizations simulate realistic scenarios (e.g., simultaneous cyberattacks, disinformation ahead of elections, and acts of sabotage) to practice rapid and coordinated response patterns.
The center offers specialized training and courses for government representatives, civil defense organizations, military personnel, and cybersecurity experts from partner countries. Since hybrid threats often lie in the gray area between civil and military security, the center serves as a central platform where EU and NATO members jointly exchange information and strategies. Establishing its own national center or forging closer ties with the Finnish Hybrid CoE would bring Austria both significant security benefits and vulnerabilities that are the subject of political and constitutional debate.
What role would it play in Austria?
Cyberattacks (such as those on the Ministry of Foreign Affairs or the Carinthian provincial administration) and waves of disinformation strike nations without warning. A specialized center brings together expertise from IT, intelligence services, the military, and government in one place to detect and repel attacks early on. Through its network with 35 partner countries, the EU, and NATO, Austria gains access to confidential analyses, threat assessments, and trends that a single country could hardly uncover on its own.
Austrian authorities and decision-makers can practice responding to real-world crisis scenarios—such as coordinated waves of disinformation ahead of elections or simultaneous hacks of the power grid—through simulations. The planned center is intended not only to defend against such threats but also to make the population more resilient to targeted foreign influence by promoting media literacy and public education.
Critics (including those from the FPÖ) and skeptics fear that a state-run “Center Against Disinformation” could dictate what constitutes “truth” and what constitutes “disinformation.” There are concerns about state censorship or the stigmatization of opinions critical of the government. Since the Finnish model (Hybrid CoE) works very closely with NATO, advocates of neutrality criticize that Austria would thereby become even more entangled in Western military alliance structures and weaken its traditional role as a mediator in the spirit of neutrality. While hybrid threats (disinformation, hacks, sabotage) do not constitute traditional military attacks, A defense center strengthens national security without violating the Neutrality Act. However, there is concern that taking active measures against foreign actors (e.g., Russian hacker groups or state-sponsored troll farms) could make Austria an even greater target for covert countermeasures.