The Minister of Defense in the big Militär Aktuell interview: Klaudia Tanner on the war in Ukraine and its consequences, necessary investments in the armed forces, the great need for personnel in the coming years and Austria’s participation in the European Sky Shield Initiative.
Minister, war has been raging in Ukraine for more than a year and a half now. What does this mean for the rest of Europe? What is the security situation on the continent?
My assessment is the same as that of our officers who appear in the media every day: our world has not become any safer in recent years, especially with regard to Ukraine, where an end to the war of attrition unfortunately does not seem to be in sight at the moment. Recently, the situation in the Western Balkans has also become less secure and fighting has broken out again between Armenia and Azerbaijan over Nagorno-Karabakh. The security situation is therefore much more unstable overall than it was a few years ago.
You mentioned the Austrian Armed Forces ‘ Ukraine experts, who are in great demand in the domestic and international media. How great is the associated image boost for the army?
We made the decision to position ourselves in this area at the start of the war, although we initially believed that we could make do with three experts. However, the interest from the media was so great that we quickly expanded our team and of course we are incredibly proud of the very positive feedback that our outstanding experts receive. And yes, this naturally has a positive effect on the image of the Austrian Armed Forces.
The significantly increased defense budget is also a consequence of the war in Ukraine. Or would a similar increase in funding have been possible?
It was essential that the budget be increased, as the security situation was already tense before the outbreak of war and it was clear that the armed forces would have to be deployed in more and more areas. Let us think of the many assistance missions after severe weather events and the operations to deal with the corona pandemic. This is why we were able to increase the budget three times even before the war, but you are of course right: such a large increase was only feasible after the Russian attack – many other European countries took a similar step. However, we have managed to legally secure this budget increase with the National Defense Financing Act and thus guarantee planning security for the army beyond the legislative period. https://militaeraktuell.at/kaercher-futuretech-liefert-feldkuechen-an-die-bundeswehr/
This planning security is absolutely essential, especially for large-scale procurements, isn’t it?
Definitely, and we are making good progress. We are consistently implementing our development plan and have recently been able to make some progress, particularly in the area of protection and effectiveness for our soldiers. For example, we have accelerated the issue of new uniforms, parts of the modified assault rifle are already with the troops and we are investing in communications equipment. In the large area of mobility, we have now procured 36 Leonardo AW169 helicopters instead of the 18 originally planned, we will purchase another Black Hawk squadronWe are investing in the the service life extension of our main battle tanks and infantry fighting vehicles and we are finally initiating the follow-up procurement for the Saab 105OE, which we unfortunately had to retire at the end of 2020. We already have the necessary budget funds for this and the foundations for a decision may even be finalized this year. We have also recently decided on the successor to our Hercules transport aircraft.
The C-390M from Embraer was chosen.
We looked at several possible models and the C-390M was the only one that met all our requirements. As the Netherlands also recently opted for this model and have exactly the same requirements as we do, and as we were already looking for international partners for the AW169 helicopters, a joint procurement was the obvious choice.
Are you aiming for a government-to-government deal or is the department negotiating directly with the manufacturer together with the Netherlands?
We will implement everything that is possible in the government-to-government sector, that is always the goal. That is why we are doing everything we can to be involved in the procurement process that the Netherlands is carrying out.
“We looked at several possible models and the C-390M was the only one that met all our requirements.”
Does procurement also generate added value in Austria?
This must always be the goal within the legal framework and wherever possible, and is the case with the Pandur Evolution from General Dynamics European Land Systems-Steyr has also been exemplary. Well over 200 Austrian companies are part of the value chain here. Of course, this will not be possible on a similar scale for all procurements, but Embraer, for example, maintains relationships with the Upper Austrian aviation supplier FACC and also for the up to 1,375 aircraft produced at Rheinmetall MAN the national added value is high. The vehicles are manufactured in Vienna, 1,400 people work at the plant and with our order we are helping to secure the location and possibly even create new jobs. In this way, we are also creating understanding among the population for the expenditure of the Austrian Armed Forces.
Speaking of which: when the Eurofighters were procured in the early 2000s, there was a huge outcry in the country. The criticism was that the money was needed more in other areas and that the Eurofighters were just an expensive “toy”. Now a total of around 600 million euros is being invested in the new C-390M transport aircraft, the new Leonardo helicopters will cost 873 million euros, the planned procurement of training jets will not be cheap either and there is even talk of purchasing armed drones. Nevertheless, there is currently no sign of an outcry like back then …
… which shows quite clearly that the majority of Austrians feel that the situation has become more insecure in recent years and that we simply need the armed forces in a variety of ways. This view can also be seen in the increased standing of the Armed Forces among the population – trust in the Armed Forces has risen by a whopping 20 percentage points compared to the last ranking. This is more than remarkable, but of course moods can change quickly and therefore we have to keep arguing and explaining how the Armed Forces contribute to Austria’s security. Security may not be everything, but without security everything is nothing and the armed forces are a crucial player for security in the country.
“The majority of
Austrians feel that
we need the armed forces in
many different ways
.”
There have recently been discussions about the plans to build up ground-based air defense and Austria’s planned participation in the European Sky Shield Initiative.
Some have tried to turn the issue into a political battlefield, with neutral Switzerland on board alongside Austria. We are talking about an additional protective shield here, which has nothing whatsoever to do with the issue of military neutrality and no serious constitutional expert sees it that way either. However, reports like this show quite clearly who is actually concerned about Austria’s security or who is only pretending to be.
In the summer, you signed a declaration of intent for Austria to join the European Sky Shield Initiative. What happens now?
The next step will be the signing of a memorandum of understanding on the joint procurement of the Iris-T air defense system and the next round of air chiefs will then take place in November. So we are moving very quickly in the right direction here.
So quickly that the target set by German Chancellor Olaf Scholz to fully open the protective shield by 2025 seems realistic?
The timetable is ambitious, but we will certainly achieve the first stage of expansion by then. However, the final expansion, which will involve longer ranges in addition to the mid-range, will certainly take longer.
To conclude the topic of procurement: When will you start thinking about the successor to the Eurofighter?
We have been thinking about this for a long time, even if the issue is not yet an absolute priority. We can operate the fleet until 2035 and we are now investing in self-protection and night-time identification. We are also examining an offer from the German Armed Forces for the purchase of additional two-seaters and then, of course, we will think about the time after 2035. https://militaeraktuell.at/gdels-steyr-tatra-kommt-ein-8×8-pandur-ii-evo/
Let’s move on to the subject of personnel: it’s nice when modern equipment can be ordered and is available in the barracks yard. But someone has to operate the vehicles. How many personnel are needed?
The demand is huge and therefore the issue of recruitment will be an absolute priority in the coming years. We have the advantage that many thousands of conscripts come to us every year, whom we can convince of the advantages of a career in the armed forces . .. … but in many cases this is not as successful as it could be.
Unfortunately, this is true and we absolutely see a need for improvement here. The increase in pay for those serving in the armed forces – incidentally the first increase in ten years – is a first step in this direction. However, we must now also show young people what great career and development opportunities they have with us. And yes, this is also about adequate pay. We have already been able to make progress here, but more must follow as part of the next amendment to civil service law. We also need to consider how we can keep up with the private sector in terms of salaries in the public sector.
Is a personnel recruitment campaign also being considered?
We are already pursuing this offensive – with a whole range of measures. For example, we have launched voluntary basic military service for women and a separate course for ICT officers at the military academy. We offer those interested the opportunity to study medicine with the obligation to stay in the army for a while. This school year, we were able to anchor spiritual national defense in the school curricula and we always use all events in the department to recruit personnel. We are also noticing that the new equipment is generating interest. For example, there is a lot of interest in the new Leonardo helicopters at the Fliegerwerft. New equipment also attracts new personnel.
“We need to do more to show young people what great career and development opportunities they have with us.”
New staff can often be recruited, but at the same time well-trained employees are lost for a variety of reasons. How do you intend to reduce this drop-out rate?
That is a crucial point; unfortunately, the retention rate is really not good in some areas. We therefore have to investigate every single case in order to improve, and this requires measures in many areas, including childcare in the barracks. We are in competition with the private sector when it comes to recruiting personnel, but of course also with other departments, and the need is great throughout the civil service. However, I am confident that we will be able to find a good solution here too and that, at the end of the day, we will be able to attract sufficient personnel.
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