Austria’s Federal Chancellor Nehammer and Defense Minister Tanner emphasize that the threat situation “has increased massively” as a result of the Russian war of aggression in Ukraine. Austria must therefore join the European airspace defense system “Sky Shield”. The two emphasize that neutrality is not threatened by the project.
Austria plans to join the European airspace defense system “Sky Shield”, as announced by the Federal Chancellery and Ministry of Defense on Saturday. “The threat situation has increased enormously due to the Russian war of aggression in Ukraine,” said Federal Chancellor Karl Nehammer (ÖVP). Defense Minister Klaudia Tanner (ÖVP) spoke of a “milestone” in defense policy. Neutrality is not threatened by the project, both emphasized.
“We must and will take precautions to protect our country from the threat of drone or missile strikes,” Nehammer said in a press release. In airspace surveillance, this is best done together in a European association with other countries.
“For Austria, this is a milestone in the history of defense policy,” emphasized Tanner. “Negotiations are ongoing to examine this cooperation and clarify what Austria’s participation in this project might look like in concrete terms.”
Neutrality is not in danger
Neutrality remains unchanged: “It’s about participating in a protective shield that serves to ward off danger,” say Nehammer and Tanner. “The joint implementation of this project is organizationally and financially possible and sensible only in a European network. No European state can afford the capability of effective airspace defense in view of the new threat situation alone.”
On Friday, Defense Minister Tanner will travel to Bern, where she will meet her German and Swiss counterparts Boris Pistorius and Viola Amherd as part of a trilateral DA-CH meeting. Austria considered this meeting as a possible date for signing the adhesion to the “European Sky Shield Initiative”, as announced by a spokeswoman for the Ministry of Defense, questioned by the APA. It is now planned that Tanner will sign the necessary declaration of intent in Pistorius’ presence. However, they didn’t want to reveal any details before the meeting.
protective shield for Europe
The “European Sky Shield Initiative” (ESSI) came from the EU and NATO country Germany. Since last October, NATO members, Great Britain, Slovakia, Latvia, Hungary, Bulgaria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Finland, Lithuania, Netherlands, Romania, Slovenia, Estonia and Norway have also been involved. Denmark and Sweden also joined the project in February. Set against the backdrop of Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, “Sky Shield” aims to help close gaps in the current protective shield for Europe.
According to the press release, the “Sky Shield” will place a satellite-backed protective shield over participating countries that will be able to detect and ward off drones and missiles at an early stage. The increased threat situation is reflected in three factors against which the “Sky Shield” intends to provide the necessary protection: drone attacks or threats from misguided drones, threats from military aircraft in European airspace and threats from ballistic or nuclear missiles in European airspace.