Defense Minister Klaudia Tanner paid a visit to the Salzburg pioneers in the Schwarzenberg barracks on 28 January and announced investments in the pioneer force of more than 100 million euros.
During her visit, the Minister was able to see for herself the operational readiness and professionalism of the Salzburg soldiers of Pioneer Battalion 2. The battalion commander, Lieutenant Colonel Klaus Rosenkranz, introduced the Minister of Defense to the diverse range of tasks performed by the pioneers.
“Today’s demonstration by the Salzburg Pioneers impressively demonstrated that the pioneer forces of the Austrian Armed Forces are a central component in coping with operations at home and abroad. In the event of natural disasters, where the resources of civilian emergency organizations are no longer sufficient, the Austrian Armed Forces are ready to assist and protect the Austrian population at any time,” said Minister Tanner, who announced extensive investments in the pioneer force during her visit. “Investments totaling 100 million euros are planned in transport vehicles, pioneer tanks and the bridge-laying capacity of the three pioneer battalions; the Salzburg pioneers will also benefit greatly from this. We are also investing in infrastructure. In the federal state of Salzburg, 13.6 million euros are earmarked for investment in construction measures for the Austrian Armed Forces this year and as much as 16.8 million euros for 2022. In addition, 9 million euros will be used for measures within the framework of barracks self-sufficiency in the province.” As part of a combat demonstration, the soldiers demonstrated the defense against explosive ordnance during international missions and a bridge construction with heavy engineer machine support; finally, operational equipment was presented. https://militaeraktuell.at/bauen-zerstoeren/ The core tasks of Engineer Battalion 2 are to promote its own movement (for example by building bridges), to inhibit enemy movement (for example by erecting barriers), to protect against the effects of weapons and to increase stability, to defend against explosive ordnance and to provide disaster control. The Salzburg pioneers specialize in pioneer support in the mountains and the construction of field camps. Pioneer Battalion 2 has equipment and vehicles that are unique in the Austrian Armed Forces, such as two material ropeways, comprehensive field camp infrastructure equipment, the Hägglunds special vehicles and the Husar protected multi-purpose vehicle.
