Tyrolean daily newspaper, editorial, edition of November 16, 2023. By WOLFGANG SABLATNIG. "Finally, spines".

2023-11-15 23:00:15

Innsbruck (OTS) – From what is known, Neutrality and Sky Shield will get along. Air defense is even necessary so that the neutral country can protect its sovereignty. But the basic question about the meaning of neutrality remains.

Anyone who is old enough can remember the army hedgehog. The pickers were for the military and its units. The spiky animal with the red-white-red helmet was always visible. Nobody should dare get too close to him, he wanted to say.
How defensive the hedgehog ever was remains to be seen. And in the decades since, Austria’s defense capability has declined rather than increased. It only took Russia’s attack on Ukraine for the federal government to remember and start putting up the thorns again. Suddenly there is more money for the armed forces than there has been in decades. The Green government partner is also taking part, despite his pacifist tradition.
The shopping list is long. 18 billion euros are planned. Long-range air defense will cost billions more. Unless a future government takes a different course, the armed forces will be different in a few years.
It should then at least have a chance to defend the country’s sovereignty. Federal governments tended to forget this part of neutrality, the thorns. They were in good company. Defense spending fell across Europe. All countries were happy about the peace dividend.
The fact that the Wehrigel should now also shoot rockets is a continuation of the trend reversal. If you are serious about security, you have to think about the air.
But how neutral is the hedgehog when it works with others? The animal with the (blunt?) spines was never politically or ideologically indifferent. And military neutrality means not allowing foreign troops to be stationed, not supporting any warring party militarily, not joining any alliances and not accepting any foreign command.
From what is known, Sky Shield does not object to this. On the contrary: following Switzerland’s example, military neutrality means being able to protect yourself – even in the air. Sky Shield is intended to help ensure that the costs and effort for the procurement and operation of this air defense do not get out of control. Someone in Austria still has to press the release button.
But another debate would be much more exciting anyway: Why do we still need neutrality? Austria maintains international cooperation. At the same time, the government must repeatedly express reservations externally and argue and discuss internally.
But it will take a while before a government dares to weigh in on this debate.