Military in motion: Exercise in the Isseltal or preparations for Ukraine?

Military in motion: Exercise in the Isseltal or preparations for Ukraine?

In the past few days, there have been a striking number of military vehicles from the Austrian army in the Iseltal and in the Lienz basin. Colonel Matthias Wasinger, commander of the Jäger Battalion 24 in Lienz, said that the troops are preparing for international operations. The soldiers trained specific scenarios that occur in crisis areas such as Kosovo and Bosnia and Herzegovina by simulating the backup and accompaniment of an auxiliary convoy. The procedure of a psychological support team received special attention, which tried to de -escalate in critical situations with spoken speakers in the national language. The exercise ended on March 21, 2025 and was part of the three -day "evaluation exercise", which was documented in detail in a report by dolomitenstadt.at.

These military activities raise questions about possible missions, especially in Ukraine. However, Wasinger emphasized that there is currently no mandate for an assignment in Ukraine. This is in contrast to the latest discussions in Switzerland, where high -ranking security politicians consider a possible posting of Swiss soldiers to Ukraine. Army chief Thomas Süssli left open that up to 200 soldiers could be involved in an assignment within nine to twelve months. Andrea Gmür and Priska Seiler Graf, the two prominent politicians, support this step as long as the neutrality of Switzerland is preserved. A corresponding UN mandate is essential, as reported in the article of the Aargauer Zeitung. This could represent a new dimension of the role of Switzerland in international peace missions.

The possibility of an international military commitment is evaluated differently by various countries in Europe. While politicians in Switzerland are discussing participation, the German government remains skeptical about an operation, and other countries like Poland strictly reject a troop shipment. These divergent opinions will be intensively discussed at the upcoming Ukraine summit, in which European heads of state and government.