The designated chief of staff Rudolf Striedinger wants to invest in the air defense and the tanks of the federal army. In addition to the Eurofighters, new jets could come, he says. The major general expects a higher budget and also wants to strengthen the militia, as he said in several inaugural interviews. Should there not be enough volunteers for the militia, obligations could follow, says Striedinger.
When asked about the most urgent investments, Striedinger lists three areas in the “Salzburger Nachrichten”: the protection of soldiers and the effectiveness of weapons, mobility and the self-sufficiency of the army in the infrastructure sector.
He describes the air defense as “completely inadequate”. If nothing happens, the Eurofighters will fly until the mid-1930s. “If we want to expand air traffic control, this is not only possible by increasing the flight hours per jet. We may also need a second aircraft system.”
Rethinking through the Ukraine war
In the “Standard” he announced that he wanted to retrofit all of the army’s tanks. The planning for the modernization of the tank fleet has been completed, which affects both the Leopard II main battle tank, which is getting on in years and only a small number of them are operational, and the Ulan infantry fighting vehicle. However, the retrofitting will only be commissioned once the decisions for a higher army budget have been made.
Two years ago, the future chief of staff relativized the importance of classic military national defense. According to Striedinger, the Ukraine war did not pose a more acute threat to the federal territory, but it did lead to a rethink.