Switzerland mobilizes

Swiss troops prepare for exercise in Allentsteig

According to the Swiss corps commander, the army exercise is currently in the planning phase.

(Bild: P. Huber)

The military training area in Allentsteig, Lower Austria, regularly hosts international units. Swiss troops will soon be arriving for a major maneuver.

For the first time in 20 years, the highly regarded Swiss army will be holding a major exercise abroad. More than 1,000 soldiers will be deployed to the Waldviertel region next year to practise the "battle of linked arms" in Allentsteig, the largest military training area on red-white-red federal territory. This was announced by Corps Commander Thomas Süssli at the weekend.

"Largest army in the world" needs space
The reason: there is simply no terrain in Switzerland that is large enough for such a maneuver. Although there have been serious efforts in our neighboring country for a long time to set up such facilities for training purposes in the cantons of Jura and Sankt Gallen, these plans have so far failed due to lack of funding. With a manpower of 200,000 soldiers, the Swiss army is the largest army in the world in terms of population, and the Swiss were already guests in Lower Austria in the 1990s.

Exercises are also held in Wiener Neustadt, but by local troops.

(Bild: Bundesheer/Daniel Trippolt)

Major exercise in Wiener Neustadt too
However, our Austrian Armed Forces are not only stationed in the "far north", but are also omnipresent in Wiener Neustadt. This is of course mainly due to the fact that the military academy has a long tradition here. From Monday, however, the soldiers in the Allzeit Getreuen will be even more present than usual: from February 5 to 7, around 100 uniformed personnel will be taking part in an anti-terror exercise in the city area. As a result, there may also be traffic disruptions, according to reports.