Defense Minister Klaudia Tanner (ÖVP) expressed interest in Austria’s participation in the Sky Shield Initiative, the planned air defense system of the European NATO countries. After meeting her German counterpart Christine Lambrecht at the EU Council in Brussels, Tanner said Austria wanted to discuss this in the context of the EU, not NATO.
Lambrecht had previously stated: “Austria is very welcome to participate in it.” This question has to be asked because of Austria’s geopolitical situation, it is not just a question of budgetary resources, but goes beyond that, Tanner told the APA after the conclusion of the EU meeting.
According to Tanner, an exchange must now take place on a technical level. Then you can see which skills you can possibly contribute and a constitutional review is still necessary.
Meeting on the topic for Christmas
Conclusions are expected in the foreseeable future. “We have the basis for that relatively quickly,” says Tanner. Before Christmas there is a meeting of Germany, Austria and Switzerland on this subject.
Participating in Sky Shield would require additional budget, but “we’re not there yet,” Tanner said. The State Defense Financing Act allows Austria to plan for a period of ten years. The law also provides for the possibility of raising additional budget resources for this type of European initiative.
Defense against ballistic missiles and drones
According to its current status, Sky Shield is intended to guarantee protection against ballistic missiles and drones for the European NATO countries. In addition to Germany, Great Britain, Slovakia, Norway, Latvia, Hungary, Bulgaria, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Finland, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Romania, Slovenia and Estonia will also be present.
Source: Krone
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