After denying Trump access to its airspace, Austria says it needs fighter jets
After denying U.S. military flights, a military spokesperson said Austria needs dozens of fighter jets to defend its airspace.
When Donald Trump singled out Austria in an address for the United Nations, citing its immigrant population as evidence that Europe is "going to hell," the country's response was muted.
"Of course we are offering cooperation here," Foreign Minister Beate Meinl-Reisinger responded, referring to efforts to control irregular migration. "Right now, cooperation ... and diplomacy are more important than ever," she said after Trump cited the fact that a slim majority of Austria's comparatively small prison population was born elsewhere (the U.S. president declined to note that much of that foreign population — less than 10,000 people — comes from within Europe).
Following the U.S.-Israeli attack on Iran, however, the Austrian government is done being so diplomatic. The bombardment has wreaked havoc on the global economy, with Austria's governing coalition of conservative, liberal and centrist parties forced to slash fuel taxes in an effort to limit war-related inflation. It is now the latest European country to say "no" to the American military, joining the likes of Spain and Italy, which have also prohibited U.S. flights carrying war supplies.
"Of course, Austria must deny U.S. access to our airspace for military flights," Vice-Chancellor Andi Babler, a member of the center-left Social Democratic Party, or SPÖ, said in an April 2 statement on social media. "We want nothing to do with Trump's policy of chaos and his war, which is bringing us the next energy crisis. Neutrality is a precious asset in our country. No to war."
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But that was not the most intriguing comment of the day. Hours after the coalition government's liberal leadership spoke out against American military flights, a spokesperson for Austria's defense ministry — led by a member of the conservative coalition partner — added that the country's sovereignty could only be ensured with military force.
"To maintain control of our airspace and prevent others from using it, we need fighter jets. At least 36," spokesperson Michael Bauer said in a statement on social media. "How else could we prevent overflights?"
Speaking to Politico, Bauer said it was odd that Trump's government would even ask to use Austrian airspace, citing his country's post-World War II status as a nonaligned nation.
"The question is — why submit a request to a neutral state in the first place?" he asked.
The era of American hubris may be far from over. But it is now clear that the U.S. government, under the current president, is viewed by its erstwhile European allies as more of a threat — another Russia — than a future partner.
