Army puts 1,600 conscripts through final exercise in Carinthia

About 1,600 soldiers are completing their final exercise in Carinthia after six months of compulsory military service, ORF reported. The exercise runs this week and next, with the Bundesheer giving a positive assessment halfway through while identifying areas for improvement.

This week, the soldiers were tasked with approaching a target without being detected. They covered more than 80 kilometres as the crow flies and tested new equipment, including personal gear, night-vision goggles, modified assault rifles, new radios and, on a larger scale for the first time, drones.

A team at the target near Bleiburg used drones and other electronic locating devices to try to find the conscripts.

Lieutenant Colonel Maximilian Steingassner said the exercise showed that technological progress and new systems could not replace soldiers’ performance. Whether a mission succeeds ultimately depends on individual commitment, teamwork, comradeship and cohesion, he said.

Steingassner added that the units operating on the ground, in the air and with drones could improve their coordination to work more efficiently.

After the exercise, the conscripts will review the operation and return their equipment before completing their service.