Because of the Eurofighters
Marterbauer Irks the ÖVP and the Military
Finance Minister Markus Marterbauer has caused quite a stir within the ÖVP and among the Austrian military leadership with his interview in the “Krone.” The SPÖ minister had clearly rejected the request for several billion euros to replace the Eurofighters. The ÖVP responded with unusually sharp criticism.
“Modernizing the Austrian Armed Forces is our obligation in the spirit of neutrality. Anyone who puts the brakes on this is jeopardizing our country’s security. I ask myself: Is the refusal to purchase additional interceptors the SPÖ’s official line, or simply the finance minister’s personal opinion? In any case, that is not the government’s line,” said ÖVP Secretary-General Nico Marchetti.
Under Defense Minister Norbert Darabos (SPÖ), the Austrian Armed Forces went through the most difficult phase in its history. “Irrational procurement decisions and pacifist fantasies” have caused massive damage to national defense: “We must not repeat these mistakes, especially not when it comes to security,” writes Marchetti. Defending the airspace is an obligation, not a nice-to-have.
Greens and FPÖ also oppose Marterbauer
Criticism also came from the FPÖ and the Greens. “SPÖ Finance Minister Marterbauer is a security risk! A neutral state needs interceptor jets for its active airspace surveillance,” writes FPÖ defense spokesperson Volker Reiferberger on Facebook.
Marterbauer’s statement allows for only two conclusions: “Either the SPÖ misjudges the real threat situation—or it is not willing to invest in security. Both are dangerous,” said Green Party defense spokesperson David Stögmüller on X.
Chief of the General Staff Rudolf Striedinger also weighed in. “Seamless airspace surveillance without active airspace defense is an illusion. Austria can currently ensure this capability exclusively with the Eurofighters. Anyone who questions or delays this active component is consciously accepting that Austria can no longer effectively protect its own security—and thus its neutrality—and is putting it at risk. If we do not initiate a replacement procurement now, Austrian airspace will effectively be unprotected by 2035 at the latest—that would be a free pass for any threat and any attack from the air,” said the general.
Defense Minister Klaudia Tanner (ÖVP) recently stated that preliminary work on the Eurofighter successor was already underway. However, a call for bids is not planned for this year. A decision is expected to be made before the end of this legislative term. According to Tanner, the aircraft will reach “the end of their technical life” in 2035.
This article has been automatically translated,
read the original article here.
Liebe Leserin, lieber Leser,
die Kommentarfunktion steht Ihnen ab 6 Uhr wieder wie gewohnt zur Verfügung.
Mit freundlichen Grüßen
das krone.at-Team
User-Beiträge geben nicht notwendigerweise die Meinung des Betreibers/der Redaktion bzw. von Krone Multimedia (KMM) wieder. In diesem Sinne distanziert sich die Redaktion/der Betreiber von den Inhalten in diesem Diskussionsforum. KMM behält sich insbesondere vor, gegen geltendes Recht verstoßende, den guten Sitten oder der Netiquette widersprechende bzw. dem Ansehen von KMM zuwiderlaufende Beiträge zu löschen, diesbezüglichen Schadenersatz gegenüber dem betreffenden User geltend zu machen, die Nutzer-Daten zu Zwecken der Rechtsverfolgung zu verwenden und strafrechtlich relevante Beiträge zur Anzeige zu bringen (siehe auch AGB). Hier können Sie das Community-Team via unserer Melde- und Abhilfestelle kontaktieren.