On Friday, the military ceremony for the handover of the newly discharged sergeants took place in Enns. 345 young non-commissioned officers, including 18 women, have thus completed their 18 months of training. The ceremony for the professional and militia soldiers took place in the presence of Defense Minister Klaudia Tanner and Chief of the General Staff General Rudolf Striedinger on the main square in Enns.
After one and a half years of training, the retired constables assume responsibility for the troops as group commanders during operations at home and abroad and in the training of recruits to the armed forces.
“I would like to warmly congratulate the soldiers on achieving the rank of ‘sergeant’, which they will bear from today. The members of the non-commissioned officer corps are the backbone of the army and play a decisive role in the daily service during training, exercises and, in particular, during national and international missions of the Austrian Armed Forces“, says Defense Minister Klaudia Tanner. “With this promotion, they are assuming significant responsibility for their unit and serving as role models for future generations of soldiers. From now on, they will have the opportunity to demonstrate the knowledge and leadership skills they have acquired. I wish them every happiness, success and satisfaction in their new position.”
270 professional soldiers (17 women) and 75 militia soldiers (one woman) passed their final examinations for non-commissioned officer training. The graduation ceremony took place in Enns on Thursday. 80 of the professional and militia soldiers (including three women) come from Lower Austria, followed by Styria with 70 participants (including four women), followed by Upper Austria and Vienna with 38 men and one woman each, Carinthia follows with 36 men and three women. The federal state of Salzburg has 29 men and three women, Tyrol is reinforced with 24 men and two women, Vorarlberg welcomes 16 men and Burgenland 14 men and one woman.
The best of the year comes from Burgenland: Constable Marie Ochsenhofer, assigned as deputy group commander of the 2nd Jäger Company of Jäger Battalion 19 in Güssing, achieved eight awards. Defense Minister Klaudia Tanner presented the best student with the golden HUAk ring as a visible sign of her excellent performance.
The graduates of the 7th cadre training course chose “Platoon Leader Franz Taschler” as their year name. Taschler (1887 to 1933) was called up as a reservist in 1914 and served in the First World War with the k.k. Tiroler Landesschützenregiment “Innichen” III, first on the eastern front (Galicia) and later on the southern front. He received several awards for his dedication in battle, including the Golden Medal of Valor. After the war, he earned his living as a mountain farmer. Due to the reference to the course’s namesake “Platoon Leader Franz Taschler”, a delegation from the Kaiserschützenbund Tirol took part in the ceremony with a flag troop.
The Army NCO Academy in Enns is responsible for the basic, advanced and further training of NCOs in the Austrian Armed Forces to become future leaders. Since 1995, the Army NCO Academy has trained more than 55,000 graduates in 60 specialist areas.
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