The allegations were serious. Nine months after a combat exercise at the Theresian Military Academy in Wiener Neustadt, serious allegations have surfaced in the course of the training. An anonymous statement of the facts was received via the whistleblower page of the Public Prosecutor’s Office for Economic Affairs and Corruption, in which allegations of torture, coercion and inhumane behavior are mentioned. The public prosecutor’s office in Wiener Neustadt is investigating the case against the course director.
A few days later, the affected training class “General Körner” put the allegations into perspective in a joint letter. More than 70 ensigns of the year have issued a joint statement and clearly distanced themselves from the serious allegations.
“In view of the serious allegations that have currently been made publicly about the training at the Theresian Military Academy, 71 ensigns of the year concerned would like to distance themselves clearly from the allegations,” says the statement, which is available to the KURIER.
Currently 55 of 83 ensigns are serving at the military academy in Wiener Neustadt, the remaining 28 officer candidates are currently completing their semester abroad. “The content of the training was not easy. After all, it was about one of the most difficult scenarios that can happen to a soldier in action: being a prisoner of war. The fact that this training is absolutely necessary is shown not least by the story of an officer at our academy. He had to experience this firsthand when he was taken prisoner during a deployment abroad,” said the prospective officers.
surprise
The allegations of torture, coercion, deprivation of liberty and other criminal offenses during the training came as a surprise, as it did for the rest of Austria, the statement said. “We cannot understand how such allegations can come about and we agree that it certainly did not happen as it is portrayed in the media,” explains the vintage.