Sharp criticism of Austria’s armed forces: between January 2018 and July 2022, up to 64 percent of Austrian battle tanks were “not usable in the field”. court of Auditors (RH) In a report on the 4th Panzergrenadier Brigade. The garage also has a number of residences, some of which are up for demolition.
For the report, the Court of Auditors took a close look at the so-called “Heavy Brigades”, which exclusively comprise the mechanized forces of the Federal Army from the years 2013 to 2021.
Meanwhile, general conditions have changed, not least because of financial injections into the military. Defense Minister Claudia Tanner (ÖVP) announced in the spring – after an examination period – that the armored force would be modernized.
“We did our homework and reacted quickly to the changed circumstances. With 560 million euros alone we are renewing the Leopard and Ulan fleets, and some construction work will also be carried out over the next few years at Wells and Ryder Barracks to be able to meet future demands,” Tanner said on the report. Gave a reaction. on Friday.
“It cannot be that, among other things, army vehicles with acquisition costs in the millions were parked in demolition-ready halls,” criticized defense spokesman Volker Reifenberger (FPÖ) said. “With only 17 battle tanks available in 2022, we can only defend two kilometers of the state border,” said Michael Gruber, liberal state party secretary and security spokesman in Upper Austria.
