Consequence of the conflicts

International law and the UN have lost significance

The rules-based world order has lost its significance. This is clearly demonstrated by Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine and the battle between Israel and the Palestinian terrorist organization Hamas. The United Nations hardly plays a role in resolving these two conflicts, analyzes Brigadier General Berthold Sandtner.

"The world order based on international law is visibly disappearing. A new one is emerging," says Sandtner, Head of the Institute for Higher Military Leadership at the National Defense Academy, in an interview with Gerhard Koller. Sandtner does not agree with the question of whether NATO has had its day. The Russian war of aggression has actually strengthened the Western defense alliance.

NATO has experienced a renaissance
A few years ago, French President Emmanuel Macron certified that NATO was "brain dead" and that Russia had revitalized NATO. Two serious neutral countries - Finland and Sweden - have joined. "NATO has definitely been revived militarily and politically. It has experienced a renaissance. The alliance states now spend 2.7 percent of their GDP on defense. Poland even invests significantly more than the USA in percentage terms." However, a NATO without the USA is inconceivable, says Sandtner about US President Donald Trump's threats to withdraw from the alliance.

Military expert Berthold Sandtner(Bild: Krone)

The brigadier general has a differentiated answer to the question of whether Europe is at war: "It depends on how you define war. War in the sense of a conflict between two military parties exists in Ukraine. If you define the term more broadly, as the struggle of a power with a hegemonic ambition that is waged with its hybrid means, such as propaganda, disinformation, economic blackmail and sabotage, then yes."

Hybrid wars instead of pure tank battles
"In reality, it's now about cyber warfare, about undersea cables and internet connections being breached and disinformation among the population or manipulation of elections. Conventional wars with weapons, as we are currently experiencing first-hand, are not a thing of the past either."

Gerhard Koller with Brigadier Sandtner(Bild: krone.tv)

A great deal has already been done in many areas of the Austrian Armed Forces, but there is a need to catch up in electronic warfare, for example. "One of the most pressing problems is establishing a robust air defense capability." If Austria were to be attacked by 300 drones at once, as happened on some days in Ukraine, the Austrian Armed Forces would only be able to intercept a few at most.

"No other European country could do that either. The only country in the world that can currently fend off such a comprehensive attack is Israel. They have proven this with two massive Iranian attacks." However, Austria is currently far removed from such a comprehensive threat scenario, Sandtner emphasizes.