Air surveillance crisis: policy failure reveals defenseless airspace

Air surveillance crisis: policy failure reveals defenseless airspace

Airspace monitoring in Austria is temporarily not available

A revealing report by Paul Tikal recently revealed that active air traffic control was missing in Austria for three days. This meant that the Eurofighters could not take off and Austria's airspace was defenseless. The main reason was not the fighter jets, but the lack of air traffic controllers and airport firefighters. It is claimed that around 50 percent of the military air traffic controllers in Zeltweg are missing, which has led to a reduction in overtime through time compensation.

The decades-long policy that neglected the armed forces was exposed. Only since Russia's brutal attack on Ukraine in 2022 have politicians recognized the importance of a strong military. In the past, soldiers were only seen as disaster relief workers, while the army was underfunded. Politicians like Norbert Darabos and Alfred Gusenbauer were criticized here.

Current challenges in the field of air traffic controllers, pilots and airport firefighters are the result of decades of political failure. Urgent staff recruitment and training are needed to address the shortage. Politicians must therefore act urgently to strengthen the army and improve the personnel situation in order to guarantee Austria's sovereignty.

The recent lack of airspace during the attack on Ukraine underscores the urgency of addressing these issues and ensuring an improved defense system. A solidarity in politics is necessary to build a strong and well-equipped army and to ensure that Austria is protected from such security gaps in the future.

Source:
www.krone.at