Ukraine expert and brigadier general of the Austrian Armed Forces, Philipp Eder, is to become the new military commander of Carinthia. Born in Burgenland, he will take over the post on September 1 from Walter Gitschthaler, who is retiring. As before, Colonel Stefan Lekas, a Carinthian, will remain his deputy.
“Brigadier Philipp Eder, who currently heads the Military Strategy Department at the Federal Ministry of Defense, brings a wealth of expertise and experience to his new role. Together with our soldiers, we must master current and future challenges and guarantee the protection and security of our population,” said Defense Minister Klaudia Tanner and Carinthian Governor Peter Kaiser.
In a recent statement, Kaiser thanked the retiring military commander Walter Gitschthaler for his commitment: “Under his leadership since 2012, we have mastered many crises together and worked together in an excellently coordinated manner at all times to protect the Carinthian population,” said Kaiser, recalling the many deployments of the Austrian Armed Forces to deal with severe weather events such as the snow chaos in Upper Carinthia in 2016, the asylum and refugee crisis in 2015, the devastating mudslides in Afritz (2016), Treffen and Arriach (2022) or the management of the corona pandemic.
“Together with his soldiers, Brigadier Gitschthaler has reliably stood by the people of Carinthia in a wide variety of crises and events for more than ten years. In difficult times, he was able to coordinate many missions with the state in an excellent manner and has always helped where help was needed quickly. I would like to express my sincere thanks to him and to our soldiers for this. Brigadier Philipp Eder, who supported the Austrian Armed Forces with his expertise in reporting on the Ukraine war even closer to the focus of society, the state of Carinthia is certainly gaining a great and experienced military commander,” said Defense Minister Klaudia Tanner.
Future stationing of helicopters in the province under consideration
Following talks with Governor Peter Kaiser, the Minister of Defense also announced that the province of Carinthia will also be investing heavily as part of the “2032+ development plan”. In addition to the modernization of the barracks and the further development of mobility, the air force is also to be upgraded. “A permanent stationing of helicopters in the province is planned for the future,” says Tanner.
“For the province of Carinthia and its population, I am pleased that our efforts to improve the military infrastructure have been taken into account by the Ministry of Defense, especially with regard to the permanent stationing of helicopters in Carinthia. This will ensure the fastest possible support, especially in the event of the increasing number of severe weather disasters,” said Governor Peter Kaiser, thanking Klaudia Tanner for the constructive discussions.
“Both politicians and the population can rely on the Austrian Armed Forces and our soldiers at all times, and this provides a sense of protection and security that is particularly important in times like these, when the brutal Russian war of aggression in Ukraine and its consequences have made instability the new normal. That was the case under Walter Gitschthaler and it will also be the case under Philipp Eder,” emphasizes Governor Peter Kaiser.
Philipp Eder
Brigadier Philipp Eder joined the Austrian Armed Forces in 1987 and was trained as an officer in the armored infantry. After being commissioned as a lieutenant in the Panzergrenadier Battalion 9 and serving at the Theresian Military Academy, Philipp Eder transferred to the National Defense Academy in 2000 after completing his general staff training. A deployment as a contingent commander in Afghanistan, a posting as commander of Panzergrenadier Battalion 35 and as head of the institute at the National Defense Academy were further important career steps. Since 2014, Brigadier Eder has been Head of the Military Strategy Department at the Federal Ministry of Defense. Brigadier Philipp Eder became known for his expertise and analysis of the war in Ukraine in various media.
