CERCLE DIPLOMATIQUE - issue 03/2023

LE MONDE COMMENTARY
The European Sky Shield Initiative:
An opportunity for Austria to improve
its security
Text: Stephanie Liechtenstein
Increasing military spending and joining initiatives such as Sky Shield is an opportunity for neutral
Austria to improve its security amid the radically changed security environment in Europe.
Stephanie Liechtenstein
studied History of
International Relations at
the London School of
Economics and Political
Science (LSE). She worked
at the Organisation for
Security and Co-operation
in Europe (OSCE) in Vienna
for several years in various
positions. Has since worked
as a freelance journalist
focusing on multilateral
diplomacy, international
organisations, disarmament
issues and foreign policy.
Writes for various Austrian
and international media,
such as “Die Presse“,
POLITICO, the Independent
and PassBlue.
Russia’s assault on Ukraine has highlighted the
need for Europe to strengthen its air defence
systems. Russia is using drones, cruise missiles,
ballistic missiles, and even hypersonic missiles in its
war against Ukraine, making European politicians
acutely aware of theoretical threats to their air spaces
and territories.
In an effort to respond to this potential danger, 19
European countries have joined the so-called European
Sky Shield Initiative, a common air defence system
proposed by Germany in 2022. The project currently
includes 16 NATO member states, NATO
invitee Sweden, as well as the neutral states Austria
and Switzerland.
Coordinating European air defence
The European Sky Shield Initiative is a project that
is aimed at allowing European countries to buy missile
defence systems together and to enable them to cooperate
on other vital issues such exchange of radar
data, training and maintenance.
Austria already has a comprehensive radar system
to monitor its air space and to detect missiles or other
objects from “Berlin to Sarajevo and much further to
the east,” according to the Austrian army.
But its air defence system could profit from an upgrade.
Also, improved coordination and sharing of
radar data would be an advantage for Austria. It could
help all European states participating in the initiative
to enhance protection of their territories.
But it is not yet fully clear how the air defence will
be organized and coordinated under the Sky Shield
Initiative. Austrian politicians insist that in the event
of an attack against Austria from the air, the order to
shoot down a missile would continue to be a national
task and sovereign decision.
But it is also a fact that a small country like Austria
will find it difficult to defend its territory completely
on its own in the event of a sophisticated military attack
from the air. A coordinated defence with various
defence systems that can take out different types of
missiles and that are stationed in different countries
participating in the Sky Shield Initiative would make
most sense.
Austrian neutrality surrounded by myths
Austria’s intent to join Sky Shield has therefore
reignited a debate about the country’s tradition of
neutrality. Critics say that Austria joining Sky Shield is
incompatibly with its policy of neutrality.
Austrian neutrality is a legacy of the situation in
Europe after World War II.
In 1955, Western allies and the Soviet Union ended
their 10-year occupation of Austria on the condition
that the country would become neutral. Concretely,
this meant that Austria would not accede to any military
alliance nor allow the establishment of foreign
military bases on its territory.
Austria is therefore not a member of NATO but it
did join the EU in 1995.
Neutrality is deeply rooted in the Austrian national
self-perception and identity.
The negotiations between Austria and the Soviet
Union, that eventually led to Austrian independence
and neutrality, are surrounded by myths that Austrians
like to evoke to this day.
Among them is the legend of Austrian chancellor
Julius Raab and his foreign minister Leopold Figl
drinking large amounts of alcohol with their Russian
counterparts during the high-stakes talks in Moscow,
while singing traditional Austrian wine tavern songs
to them.
This mixture of Austrian charm and what Austrians
like to call Schmäh – a distinct sense of humor -
helped achieve a favorable outcome of the negotiations,
according to the myth.
The completion of the talks in Moscow led to the
Constitutional Law on the Neutrality of Austria, adopted
by the Austrian Parliament in October 1955. It
stipulates that Austria shall never accede to any military
alliance.
During the Cold War this policy of neutrality was
arguably useful as it served both, the interests of East
and West. In the 1970s, Austrian chancellor Bruno
Kreisky took neutrality one step further and created
the country’s so-called active neutrality policy. Under
his social democratic leadership, Vienna not only became
host to several international organizations, but
also established itself as mediator in international
conflicts.
PHOTOS: PHILIPP HUTTER;VBS/DDPS BETTINA BERGER, HBF / PUSCH
But is neutrality still going to guarantee Austria’s
security today, especially in light of the changed security
environment in Europe as a result of the Russian
invasion of Ukraine? Or could it indeed become a security
threat?
It is likely that after carefully considering of some
of these aspects, Austrian politicians decided to take
the step and sign a declaration of intent to join Sky
Shield – knowing that this would reignite a debate
about Austrian neutrality.
But Austrian politicians have denied that their participation
would in any way undermine the country’s
traditional posture of neutrality. The question whether
joining Sky Shield is compatible with neutrality
or not is not the main point of this commentary.
The need to defend neutrality militarily
The main argument here is that if Austria wants to
stick to its policy of neutrality, even amid the drastically
changed security environment resulting from the
Russian invasion of Ukraine, this is only realistic in
combination with serious investment in the country’s
army and increased cooperation with other states in
the context of joint initiatives, such as Sky Shield.
While popular opinion in Austria is mostly grounded
in the belief that neutrality will protect Austria
from becoming involved in a war, the argument here
is that neutrality is only going to be realistic in the future
if it is combined with credible military capabilities.
Because who will defend Austria in case of an attack?
Only Austria itself.
But the Austrian army has been financially starved
for decades. The recently announced defence spending
increases are not enough to improve Austria’s
military capabilities to credibly defend itself against an
attack from another nation.
In 2022, Austria spent 2.7 billion Euros on defense,
which represents 0.62 percent of the Austrian GDP. By
comparison, Switzerland, a neutral country smaller
than Austria but with a similar number of inhabitants,
spent 5 billion Euros on defense.
In Austria, very often one can sense an implicit expectation
that all the other NATO countries that are
bordering Austria will rush to its help in the event of
war. Relying on such support has led some to describe
Austria as a security free-rider.
It is of course true that as a member of the EU, Austria
could theoretically profit from article 42.7 of the
Treaty of the European Union – the so-called mutual
defence clause which stipulates that if a member of the
EU is the victim of an “armed aggression on its territory”
the other members have an “obligation of aid and
assistance by all the means in their power.”
But the means are not necessarily military in nature.
And the clause also allows Austria, as well as the
two other neutral EU member states Ireland and Malta,
to remain neutral.
So again, it’s not a very good idea to rely on the fact
that other EU member states will military defend Austria,
if Austria itself has made clear that it is not ready
to provide this kind of military support to all others.
Increasing military spending and joining initiatives
such as Sky Shield is therefore one way to go forward
and improve neutral Austria’s security.
Top: Austrian Minister
of Defence Klaudia
Tanner (r.) and her Swiss
and German counterparts,
Viola Amherd
(middle) and Boris
Pistorius (left) signed a
Memorandum of
Understanding
regarding “European
Skyshield“.
Left: Press visit on the
subject of Skyshield by
Federal Chancellor Karl
Nehammer and Minister
of Defence Klaudia
Tanner, in the
“government bunker“
and airspace monitoring
centre of the Austrian
Armed Forces in St.
Johann.
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