Austria, a neutral country, announced today its intention to join the European Sky Shield initiative, which was launched in October 2022 at the suggestion of German Chancellor Olaf Scholz amid the war in Ukraine.

“We must and will take precautions to protect our country from the risk of drone or missile attacks,” Prime Minister Karl Nehammer said in a statement, citing “a threat that has significantly worsened.”

As he stated, this decision does not call into question the neutrality of Austria, which has also been a member of the EU since 1995.

“No European state can alone guarantee an effective defense of its airspace against new risks,” the chancellor stressed, while Defense Minister Claudia Tanner expressed satisfaction at “an important stage in the history” of the country.

This future “European anti-missile shield” has so far attracted 17 countries: 16 NATO members, including Britain, the Baltic states, Belgium, the Netherlands, Finland, Norway as well as candidate Sweden Atlantic Alliance.

The European anti-missile shield envisages joint purchases to have the full range of anti-aircraft systems, based on the short-range German Iris-T, the medium-range American Patriot and the long-range American-Israeli Arrow-3.

On the contrary, France, Italy and Poland do not participate in it. Paris has advocated a dominant anti-aircraft defense, with European equipment.