The topic of “blackouts” is also becoming increasingly important for the Austrian Armed Forces as a realistic operational scenario. A Europe-wide power, infrastructure and supply failure is a realistic and at the same time underestimated risk. An impressive live performance lasting almost one and a half hours was staged on the Danube stage in Tulln on the evening of September 30.
The open-air performance was performed by around 100 military musicians with completely new arrangements. The internationally renowned singers Marjan Shaki, Cesar Sampson and Herbert Lippert also performed with the military music. Due to the high demand, the event on September 30 was fully booked with a total of 2,500 reserved seats. For this reason, the dress rehearsal was also open to the public – there was already a large crowd on September 29.
“Our task is to support the Republic’s ability to lead in the event of an emergency, and we work closely with government agencies and the emergency services. The aim is to improve the overall resilience of our republic. The self-sufficiency of the population for several days is of central importance here,” says Defense Minister Klaudia Tanner. Deputy Governor Stephan Pernkopf, who is also Head of the Disaster Response Team of the Province of Lower Austria: “Without personal safety, we cannot live healthy and free lives. We must prepare ourselves for the challenges of today and tomorrow, which is why I am grateful for the impressive showcase that demonstrates the perfect interaction of all emergency services.” The live demonstration in the middle of the concert showed military aircraft, special vehicles together with police forces and forces from the volunteer fire departments and civil defense coping with a “blackout” scenario. The event itself was intended to underline the importance of the “blackout” issue once again.
