Swiss soldiers take part in military exercise in Austria

Dozens of armoured vehicles and tanks will be transported to Austria for the military exercise, as well as several tonnes of equipment. Keystone-SDA

The Swiss army has organised a military exercise in Austria, involving 1,000 militia soldiers. The aim is to strengthen the country's defence capability.

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“This is a special day for our troops on the ground. We haven’t had an exercise like this for 30 years,” declared a Swiss commander.

The Allentsteig parade ground in Austria covers an area of 157 km2, offering a unique field of action and a range of tactical options for ground combat exercises.

Dozens of armoured vehicles and tanks will be transported to Austria, including Leopard battle tanks, Piranhas vehicles and recovery tanks, as well as several tonnes of equipment. In all, 11 rail compositions, extending over almost 4.3 km, are needed for the operation.

Interoperability

The military exercise, dubbed “TRIAS 25”, is expected to provide valuable lessons for the future of the Swiss armed forces, in terms of technology, tactics and logistics. Some 160 German and 120 Austrian soldiers are also taking part.

The exercise took 18 months to prepare. It will last until May 9 with special training starting next Monday.

The soldiers involved will travel to Austria in around 20 coaches. In Austria they will carry out a “24-hour” exercise over five days: the first two days will involve autonomous training, the next three for the actual exercise using simulation systems.

“Threat close to our borders

The exercise scenario describes a situation abroad “in which a threat close to our borders has spread to Switzerland, with sub-warfare and armed conflict”. The aim is to recover infrastructure vital to society, some of which is located in built-up areas and which has been identified and captured by the opposing side.

The exercises involve military deployment, crossing a system of trenches and invading a town. During the simulation, the countries involved do not train against each other but in mixed teams in order to “strengthen cooperation”.

Mechanised Battalion 14, subordinate to Mechanised Brigade 11, will lead the operation. It has been reinforced by additional forces and specialists from other areas.

The Swiss army intends to “reorganise the various categories of forces on the ground in collaboration with forces in airspace, electromagnetic space and information space (in the form of an integrated network of sensors, intelligence, command and control and action) in order to prevent an escalation of tensions in any real situation”.

The military exercise in Austria will cost CHF4 million more than a traditional refresher exercise.

Swiss military personnel serving abroad do so on a voluntary basis. Over the next few years, other refresher courses will be organised outside Switzerland from battalion to brigade level.

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Translated from French by DeepL/sb

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