Elisabeth Keckeis will be the first woman to head a section of the Ministry of Defense. According to information from the APA, the Styrian-born woman will be responsible for the further development of personnel and the budget from the beginning of November as head of the General Directorate Presidency. Defense Minister Klaudia Tanner described the appointment as a “correct and important sign”.
“I have set myself the goal of increasing the proportion of women in my department to 15 percent,” emphasized Tanner: “I am aware that this is an ambitious target, but as the first female defence minister, increasing the number of women is extremely important to me.” Tanner expects the appointment to set an example to the outside world and congratulated Keckeis on the “exciting challenge”. https://militaeraktuell.at/gdels-steyr-der-pandur-als-fennek-nachfolger/ Keckeis has been with the Austrian Armed Forces since 1991 (-> here you can find the latest army news). In 2001, she began studying law, which she completed parallel to her work at the Federal Ministry of Defense. After completing court internships, the 51-year-old moved to the Corps Command in Graz as a consultant and deputy head of unit. There, the Equal Treatment Officer was responsible for budget matters and human resources. In 2002, she joined the Human Resources Department of the Federal Ministry of Defense as a consultant. In 2012, Keckeis took over as Head of the Budget and Financial Management Department at the Military Real Estate Center (MIMZ). She has been Head of the General Personnel Affairs Department since 2014. Born in Styria, the 51-year-old lives in Vienna and has a daughter.
