Unmanned systems: Secretary-General Arnold Kammel calls for an end to silo thinking at DroneVation

Unmanned systems, drones and artificial intelligence are fundamentally changing modern warfare. For Austria, as Secretary-General Arnold Kammel of the Austrian Ministry of Defence made clear in his keynote at “DroneVation & Defence 2026” in Vienna, this means that national defence needs not only new procurement programmes but an entirely new way of thinking.

Kammel opened his presentation by pointing to the profound change in the international security situation:

We are living in times of fundamental geopolitical change— Arnold Kammel, Secretary-General of the Ministry of Defence

Today, modern technologies are both a risk and an opportunity. Unmanned systems in particular have in recent years turned from a technology of the future into a defining element of modern conflicts.

New thinking instead of merely new technology

It has long ceased to be only about procuring new systems, Kammel said. Rather, military thinking as a whole has to change.

What is needed is an entirely new mindset— Arnold Kammel

The real challenge lies not only in integrating new technologies into the armed forces, the Secretary-General stressed. They also have to be developed continuously, while new operational concepts are created for soldiers and the battlefield of the future.

For precisely this reason, events such as “DroneVation” are of great importance. Politics, the armed forces, industry, science and research must cooperate much more closely than before.

We can no longer conduct progress and debates in silos— Arnold Kammel

We must combine military, political, technological and scientific competencies.— Arnold Kammel

Procurement at the pace of innovation

Technological innovation cycles today run considerably faster than classic military procurement processes, the Secretary-General pointed out.

We cannot try to procure technology today that will already be outdated tomorrow.— Arnold Kammel

The ministry, industry and research must therefore deepen their cooperation further. The aim is to turn innovations into military capabilities more quickly while continuously keeping pace with technological development.

Unmanned systems in the Bundesheer's build-up plan

With a view to the “Bundesheer 2032+” build-up plan, Kammel was convinced that the Austrian Armed Forces (Bundesheer) have now recognised the importance of unmanned systems. New technologies are already an integral part of capability development. It is also clear, however, that this path can only be pursued successfully together with industry and research.

He also recalled voices within the Bundesheer that had drawn attention to the growing importance of unmanned systems several years ago – such as Colonel Markus Reisner (-> Reisner at “DroneVation”: “Machines know no mercy”). These assessments have proved correct today.

Together for Europe's security

In closing, Kammel called for even closer cooperation among all actors in the European defence ecosystem.

Only by developing a shared vision and by working together can we master the challenges that lie ahead of us.— Arnold Kammel

In the coming years, security-policy challenges will not decrease but increase. This makes it all the more important to make innovations usable quickly and to further strengthen Europe's technological sovereignty.

Finally, he thanked the organisers of “DroneVation & Defence”. Events like this, which enable an open exchange between the armed forces, industry, science and politics, make a decisive contribution to turning innovations into concrete military capabilities more quickly.