Counter-UAS as part of security provision: Austria's National Council passes the RKE Act

Counter-UAS is also covered by the so-called RKE Act (Resilienz kritischer Infrastruktur – resilience of critical infrastructure), which the National Council (Nationalrat) passed a few weeks ago. The decision was backed by the coalition parties together with the Greens. It is an important step intended to strengthen security in Austria.

The new act creates the central foundation for protecting particularly sensitive facilities. It is aimed above all at companies and institutions whose services are essential for the population – for example in transport or in supply. This includes power plants and airports, for instance, but also other facilities that are important for the infrastructure.

Counter-UAS: strategy builds on previous steps

Operationally, a wide range of precautions against drones has already been taken in recent years. The Directorate for Special Units of the Federal Ministry of the Interior, for example, has received its own counter-drone centre, and a drone detection system has been installed at Vienna-Schwechat Airport. The Austrian Armed Forces (Bundesheer), in turn, can draw on a range of military countermeasures.

Building on the existing legal provisions and the extensive operational steps, the previous strategy against drones is now being developed further. The security architecture that Europe maintains jointly is also to be incorporated into the comprehensive drone strategy. The aim is for existing and future protective measures to adapt to constantly changing threat scenarios.

Voices from the ministries and the state secretariat

The Minister of the Interior put the purpose of the project at the centre and spoke of responsibility:

The goal is clear: the protection of people and of the essential supply facilities in our country. In doing so, we are taking responsibility and making an important contribution to security in Austria.— Minister of the Interior Gerhard Karner

The Foreign Minister referred to recent events in Europe, to the protection of people and to the close exchange with European partners:

The recent incidents in Europe show how vulnerable critical facilities have become. When we protect our infrastructure, we protect the people who rely on it – in hospitals, in energy supply, when travelling. Resilience means being prepared – nationally and in close exchange with our European partners. By developing counter-drone defence further, we are contributing to strengthening our security and freedom.— Foreign Minister Beate Meinl-Reisinger

The Minister of Infrastructure described the role his ministry is taking on, with whom it is working and which installations are in focus:

Drones have been part of our everyday lives for many years, but recent weeks have shown that we must act on protection against malicious use. To find answers to the constantly changing threat situation, we as the Ministry of Mobility are pooling our forces and working even more closely with the Ministry of the Interior and the Ministry of Defence. The aim is to protect our critical infrastructure from threats as well as possible – in my area, this is above all about transport infrastructure: from airports and railway stations to road infrastructure, bridges and tunnels, through to ports and facilities on the Danube waterway.— Minister of Infrastructure Peter Hanke

The Defence Minister placed the drone strategy in the context of the Bundesheer's many years of protective work:

Drones are among the greatest threats of the present day. Numerous incidents on European soil show that we must protect our country and its people from this threat. The Bundesheer recognised these risks very early on and has been working on protective measures for several years. The drone strategy is an important building block for further improving this protection. Anyone who wants to preserve peace must be able to protect that peace and also our neutrality.— Defence Minister Klaudia Tanner

Finally, the State Secretary spoke of a task that goes beyond individual authorities:

Drones offer great opportunities, but they also confront us with new security policy tasks. It is becoming increasingly clear that protection against misuse is not the task of a single authority. It is a challenge for the state as a whole. Our common goal is to guarantee freedom and security in equal measure – and to protect our democracy.— State Secretary Jörg Leichtfried