On 23 August, Defense Minister Klaudia Tanner and Chief of Staff Rudolf Striedinger appeared before the press to look back on the first half of 2023 in a detailed and positive manner.
According to Defense Minister Klaudia Tanner, “despite major challenges” such as the personnel situation, the department is “on a very good path overall”. Due to retirements and departures, around 1,000 new soldiers and civilian staff will be needed each year over the next few years, according to Tanner, which is why the department is being innovative in its recruitment efforts. One success, for example, was the initiative to approach civil servants after the plant closures at Kika/Leiner in order to recruit them for the armed forces. Accordingly, 31 applicants had registered and 19 were currently in the recruitment process. As of August 23, a total of 1,233 soldiers and civilian staff had been recruited into the armed forces, compared to 1,449 in 2022 as a whole. Since the introduction of voluntary basic military service for women on April 1, 144 voluntary registrations have been received and 17 women have enlisted. 41 more are expected to join by the end of the year.
More conscripts back to weapons-specific training
In addition to the new equipment added and ordered in the first half of the year with a budget volume of 390 million euros (see table above; according to the budget plan, a total of 680 million euros is to be spent by the end of the year), according to Chief of Staff Rudolf Striedinger, it should be emphasized that the number of 1,140 soldiers in security police assistance operations (for example in border protection) was reduced to around 720 at the beginning of the year and that fewer conscripts are now being deployed in this area. As a result, “the conscripts are once again able to receive more weapons-related military training for the purpose of national military defense,” says Striedinger.
“We have been able to lead conscripts back into military training for the purpose of national military defense.
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Generalstabschef Rudolf Striedinger
This will increase operational readiness, more soldiers will volunteer for the militia again and there will also be significantly more training again. General Striedinger: “For example, 1,600 soldiers were recently during a major exercise of the 7th Jägerbrigade in action. 160 exercises are planned for the militia this year. The resources are there and operational readiness can be kept high.”
“In the case of the jet trainer, we are talking about twelve units plus an option for a further twelve aircraft, although armed drones could also be procured as an alternative.”
Verteidigungsministerin Klaudia Tanner
Type decisions pending
When asked by Militär Aktuell, Defense Minister Tanner confirmed the intention to make type decisions this year on the initiated replacement of the three C-130K Hercules (built in 1967/68) of the Austrian Armed Forces (-> Here is an overview of the models in question) and the replacement of the Saab-105OE retired in 2020 (1970) by a so-called Advanced Jet Trainer. The decision regarding the new transport aircraft could even be made by the end of the summer, according to Tanner, who set a calendar date of September 21. “In the case of the jet trainer, we are talking about twelve aircraft plus an option for twelve more, although armed drones could also be procured as an alternative,” said Tanner. “We also have some catching up to do here.” In fact, this capability does not currently exist. 
Planning certainty established
When asked by Militär Aktuell about the upcoming National Council elections next year and the budget negotiations to be held in the first two quarters of 2024, Defense Minister Klaudia Tanner noted: “The planned annual budgets up to 2032 have been passed through the Budget and National Defense Committees in Parliament in the National Defense Financing Act and in the explanatory notes to the National Defense Plan 2022 – which, incidentally, has to be adapted annually – and have been taken note of by general consensus.” This has “created planning security for the armed forces beyond the respective four-year financial framework”, said Tanner. “Any future government cannot simply brush this aside or negate it.” According to information from Militär Aktuell, this is also in line with the view of the Ministry of Finance that a possible new political administration cannot simply cut the budget in the coming years if the army is now allowed to make long-term procurements and enter into the associated payment obligations. “If we make a cut, we will all go to the criminal …”, was a pointed statement recently made to the author. Nevertheless, it is worth remembering major armaments projects of the past, where, for example, the Eurofighter installments were initially part of an extra procurement, but then had to be transferred to the current army budget and almost strangled the regular budget for years. In the end, no one went “to the criminal” for the uncoordinated budget and unilateral action that continues to have an impact to this day. https://militaeraktuell.at/hirtenberger-gf-eva-stein-peter-pichler-im-gespraech/ More clarity on Sky Shield soon
Finally, the press conference also addressed the European Sky ShieldInitiative. the European Sky Shield Initiative, which Austria could join as reported and recently signed a declaration of intent to join with Switzerland. Against this background, according to Defense Minister Tanner, a conference of the air chiefs of all participating states is to take place at the beginning of September. There, Air Force Chief Brigadier Gerfried Promberger will be able to take a comprehensive look at the planning documents of the other participants for the first time. “After that, we will know more concrete details”, said Tanner. On the subject of Sky Shield, the head of the department once again brought up the possibility – as yet undefined – of introducing the domestic Goldhaube air surveillance system and mentioned the recent sales approval of the US-Israeli long-range system Arrow 3 for Germany. “The ranges covered by the system into space can no longer be achieved financially by any country alone.”
Incidentally, a presentation by the Air Chief in Zeltweg at the end of July revealed that Austria was interested in a system like the so-called GESTRA radar tested in Germany, possibly in the north tower on the Kolomansberg (see picture above). So by no means for weapons and effector locations, which, according to the head of planning, Major General Bruno Hofbauer, would require “additional funds that are not yet budgeted in the plan”. In return, they would like to receive the so-called “Recognized Space Picture” in order to obtain a better basis for national decision-making – but more concrete information on this should be available in the coming weeks and months.
