Serious incident during a Christmas party at the Krobatin barracks in Salzburg: a major allegedly “inappropriately groped the buttocks” of two lower-ranking, younger female soldiers; the parliamentary Federal Armed Forces Commission speaks of a “very serious matter”. The accusations come at a time when the armed forces are recruiting mainly female soldiers.
On December 20, 2023, four days before Christmas Eve, the officer allegedly committed an assault in the dining room in a “very drunken state” around 7 p.m. As evidenced by an anonymous letter to the parliamentary Federal Armed Forces Commission, which is available to the “Krone”, the senior soldier, among other things, inappropriately groped a Chargin and a non-commissioned officer on the bottom.
Male soldiers came to help
The considerably younger Chargin went to her immediate superior ‘in tears’, while the non-commissioned officer insulted the groping major. Other male cadre soldiers came to the women’s aid and confronted the major. “But that was pointless in his drunken state,” the letter continues.
The cause has now caused a small earthquake in the battalion itself:
- After the “Krone” request on March 11. The next day around 12:15 p.m., the battalion commander in the Krobatin barracks, Colonel Johannes Nussbaumer, was informed of the accusations.
- At 1:00 PM he summoned his company commanders and confronted them. The major involved sheepishly admitted the incident.
- At 2:15 p.m., one of the soldiers was spoken to; the other was on leave at the time.
- Oral disciplinary proceedings were initiated against the major on the same day and written disciplinary proceedings were initiated the following day.
- Shortly afterwards, the disciplinary department of the Ministry of Defense took over the case and the Marechaussee is currently conducting discussions with those involved.
The Federal Armed Forces Commission, which is conducting a parallel and independent investigation, said it was taking the incident “very seriously” and had conducted initial interviews this week. The head of the investigation is the military spokesman of the SPÖ, Robert Laimer.
“There is zero tolerance here”
The case comes at a very bad time: the federal military is currently increasingly relying on women in its search for more personnel. “Such attacks harm our efforts to increase the proportion of female soldiers. There is zero tolerance here and everyone will see that such behavior leads to clear consequences. I regret this incident and apologize to the female soldiers,” the Defense Ministry spokesperson said. , Colonel Michael Bauer.
Since April 1, 2023, women can voluntarily perform basic military service; 136 have already registered in this way. However, across Austria, women still constitute a large minority in the federal army with approximately 750 female soldiers.
Source: Krone
I am Wallace Jones, an experienced journalist. I specialize in writing for the world section of Today Times Live. With over a decade of experience, I have developed an eye for detail when it comes to reporting on local and global stories. My passion lies in uncovering the truth through my investigative skills and creating thought-provoking content that resonates with readers worldwide.
