The army budget will rise from the current 2.7 billion euros to 3.38 billion. The money should be invested in protection and defense. Defense Secretary Tanner sees a “ten-year drought” is over.
The military will receive more money over the next few years, but far less than promised. At a press conference Thursday, Defense Minister Klaudia Tanner, Chancellor Karl Nehammer and Finance Minister Magnus Brunner (all ÖVPs) announced an increase in the army budget from the current € 2.7 billion to € 4.7 billion. euros by 2026. This is a total of five billion more, but up to six billion a year were promised.
Next year there will be an additional € 680 million, which corresponds to an increase from the current € 2.64 billion (0.6 percent of GDP) to € 3.32 billion (0.7 percent of GDP). One percent of gross domestic product was promised, which would have been 4.68 billion euros. Wifo expects a GDP of 468 billion euros for the next year. In 2024 the budget will rise to 3.7 billion, in 2025 it will be 4.2 billion and in 2026 to 4.7 billion euros. The money will be invested in soldiers’ personal protection, mobility, tank fleet and air defense. The Eurofighters will be equipped with night goggles, electronic self-defense and medium-range guided missiles.
In addition, a law on state defense financing is foreseen, which should guarantee the financing of the army for the next ten years. Defense Secretary Tanner has seen “decades of dry spells”. The military can now make a lot of investments, “but we’re not going to buy anything that we absolutely don’t need,” the minister said.
“We promised more, now there’s more”
Nehammer spoke of “a particularly good morning for the Austrian national defense”. He had been fighting for a higher defense budget for decades and now it has been achieved. “We have promised more and now there is more. This is a fact,” said the Chancellor in response to criticism that even more money had been promised. The military is an “important central element of security policy”. But a “global national defense” is needed. In addition to military security, the resilience of society is also needed to defend democracy and “preparation for economic defense”.
The fact that the finance ministry has counted federal army pensions as part of the army budget to reach the one percent of GDP promised over the next few years has also sparked criticism. This is an international practice, Brunner said. In media reports, of course, this has not been predicted so far. And it is also indicated differently in the budget: pensions are not included in “UG 14 Military Affairs”, but in a separate “UG Pensions – Government Officials”. In addition to the pensions of the soldiers, the pensions of teachers and police officers are also indicated.
New threat scenarios for Austria
The partner of the Green coalition is satisfied with the outcome of the budget negotiations. The war in Ukraine would also lead to new threat scenarios for Austria. “In addition to an increase in the military budget, foreign and peace policy measures and development cooperation measures will be adopted to improve stability and peace in the world,” said Vice-Chancellor Werner Kogler, announcing that all army contracts they will be checked by a commission to prevent corruption prevent.
The opposition welcomed the budget increase, but criticized the fact that other things needed in the military are not being addressed. FPÖ military spokesman Reinhard Bösch also missed “a clear announcement from Tanner about the proven 6 + 2 month model – about the reintroduction of eight months of basic military service so that mandatory militia drills can again be fully possible” . Defense spokesman for Neos Douglas Hoyos did not have a new security strategy and clear role definition for the military.
“The state defense budget should finally move in the right direction,” SPÖ defense spokesman Robert Laimer said at today’s federal government press conference. He wanted a higher budget and criticized the fact that “the numbers are being manipulated again to hide what’s going on”.
(WHAT)
