On October 31 and November 1, 30 soldiers from the Austrian Armed Forces supported the Slovakian armed forces during the Covid testing of the population in the Bratislava area.
The logistical base for this humanitarian mission was the Benedek barracks at the Bruckneudorf military training area. The soldiers are also housed there and carried out the necessary missions from the barracks. The deployment of the soldiers took place as part of humanitarian aid and disaster relief and was based on a decision by the German government. The deployment took place in uniform and without weapons and ammunition.
“The number of people infected with Covid-19 is currently rising massively across Europe. In the fight against the virus, we must stand shoulder to shoulder and support each other when help is needed. It is therefore a matter of course for me that Austrian soldiers and our experts from the medical field provide neighborly assistance as part of the European idea,” said Defense Minister Tanner. The medical personnel for the mission consisted of soldiers from the three medical centers in Vienna, Graz and Innsbruck as well as the field ambulance in Hörsching. The team was supplemented by members of the armed forces base. The commander was Colonel Klaus Streit, who works in the military healthcare department. The “test kits” required to carry out the tests were provided by the Slovakian armed forces and subsequently evaluated by them. In Austria, just under 800 soldiers are currently deployed to assist the health authorities; a further 800 are deployed in the federal states of Burgenland, Styria, Carinthia, Tyrol and Vienna to assist the security police.
