As the “Krone” has learned from negotiators, the government will fulfill one of its great promises just before the elections on September 29. For the first time in eleven years, it will present a new “National Security Strategy” – a basic document whose current form is hopelessly outdated. A central element of the new article: Russia.
In Austria’s current security strategy from 2013, Russia is still considered an “essential partner” of our country. There are only traces of cyber warfare; “conventional attacks are unlikely,” the main guideline for national security policy states. The paper was published a year before Putin invaded Crimea and has not been out of date since then.
So far.
After a long struggle, the coalition partners will present their new ‘National Security Strategy 2024’ before the end of the legislative period, according to information from ‘Krone’.
And it reads very differently from the previously valid version:
- The “Russian war of aggression against Ukraine” is mentioned in the first sentence. The war was “brought back to Europe,” it says a few pages later, and the security structure was shaken to its foundations.
- Nuclear threats from Russia are mentioned, but also the danger of a conventional military war. Russia also uses “energy and food exports as weapons,” and overall “the risk of military escalation up to and including the use of weapons of mass destruction has increased significantly.”
- Apart from the Russia issue, climate change is also given significantly more space because migration and refugee flows are said to remain major challenges.
- And the Covid pandemic has also “exposed existing weaknesses in international supply systems” and the economic fallout could create a breeding ground for extremism.
Military neutrality beyond question
What should you do in the face of these numerous, sometimes entirely new, threat areas? First of all: cooperate. While Austria is clearly committed to military neutrality, it will expand its partnerships and cooperation “in the field of defence policy”. “Cooperation and partnerships must be further developed”, it says. It is essential that we “exploit the possibilities with NATO in the field of (…) cooperative security and strengthening the interoperability of our military capabilities”. What this means above all, of course, is NATO’s Partnership for Peace, of which Austria has long been a member.
More Militia
At home, however, the militia’s readiness and ability to respond need to be increased. The report suggests that they should start exercising more often. And above all, ‘resilience’ is the ability to survive crises on their own – whether military conflict, pandemics, migration or cyber threats.
Gas problem solved?
The fact that the new safety doctrine has taken so long is reportedly due to the controversial issue of “gas retirement”. The report jointly prepared by the Black and Green ministries now states: “In the energy sector, the use of the grid-connected energy source gas should be reduced as soon as possible.”
Austria wants to “end its dependence on Russian energy imports, in line with the decisions of the European Council”.
Long-term basis of our security
It is not yet clear when the new security strategy will be officially presented, but it will still be in force for some time: these basic documents are designed for the long term, as can be seen from the currently applicable version from 2013. However, they want to be “continuously evaluated” from now on and the government should be informed of possible changes every two years “or as necessary”.
Source: Krone
I am Ida Scott, a journalist and content author with a passion for uncovering the truth. I have been writing professionally for Today Times Live since 2020 and specialize in political news. My career began when I was just 17; I had already developed a knack for research and an eye for detail which made me stand out from my peers.
