Economy catching up

On January 30, 2026, around 300 representatives from the military, business, and research communities gathered at the Lakeside Spitz in Klagenfurt for the Austrian Defense Innovation Conference (ADIC) to explore ways of improving national defense. WKO Vice President Goby: "The ADIC shows how much potential there is in networking start-ups, research, and established companies. We need platforms like this to turn ideas into marketable solutions more quickly.“

None of the high-profile keynotes failed to mention the profound change currently taking place in the global and, above all, European security architecture. WKO Vice President Carmen Goby kicked things off: ”Trump is disrupting the post-war order." That is why open exchange is needed, “even about things that could not have been discussed just a few years ago.” Europe must take charge of its own defense in the future, and the domestic economy and its innovative strength will play an important role in this, Goby emphasized: "Austria has excellent, highly specialized companies in the security and defense sector. If we strengthen cooperation and provide targeted support for research and development, we can build on this strength and help shape the necessary European sovereignty.“

Making Europe competitive – including militarily

Goby sees great opportunities and potential to be exploited, particularly in the area of ”dual-use" technology, which can be used for both civilian and military purposes. She named three major challenges that will be crucial for successfully strengthening Austria's independence and defense capabilities: intensive networking and cooperation between all parties involved, unhindered access to raw materials and technology, and financing: "Innovations in the security and defense sector not only strengthen our defense capabilities, but also Austria's economic resilience. Research and development in dual-use technologies in particular are a key lever for remaining competitive in Europe, but also as Europe."

Austrian Armed Forces in procurement mode

As far as the purchase of military equipment by the Austrian Armed Forces is concerned, the situation has improved significantly since the federal government substantially increased funding for military national defense. Armaments Director Lieutenant General Harald Vodosek spoke openly of a “turning point”: “Securing the financial resources was a courageous decision on the part of politicians.” Improving defense readiness is less about troop strength and more about factors such as response speed, technology, and resilience. Vodosek specifically mentioned airspace defense, long-range artillery in a networked combat system, guided missiles, drone and anti-drone systems, mobility, and IT deployment on the battlefield — among others — as critical areas.

Defense was “not sexy”

Arnold Kammel, Secretary General of the Austrian Federal Ministry of Defense (BMLV), also spoke very openly about the “fundamental change in the geopolitical situation”: “The world has become more uncertain, more autocratic, more Darwinian.” He advised abandoning the illusion of a rules-based world order and painted a challenging picture of the current situation: “Europe's strategic autonomy may be written into some documents — but is it actually being lived? If we want to take action today, we have to ask third parties if we are allowed to do so.” Kammel therefore welcomed the recent developments in the areas of security, defense, and innovation: "In the past, it wasn't sexy to talk about these issues. Now it's impressive to see the force with which the topic is being addressed, for example in the European Competitiveness Fund."

Challenges and hackathon: Difficult decisions

On Thursday, Defense Secretary Klaudia Tanner had already gained a personal impression of the ADIC. “I don't envy the jury for their difficult task of evaluating the start-ups' performances in the challenges and hackathon,” Tanner explained to a packed audience in the Makerspace after the pitches on the topics of “Defense Quantum Challenge,” “Next Generation Protection Systems,” and the hackathon on “Cognitive Security & Resilience Hackathon: Securing Minds, Strengthening Society.” The winners of the hackathon (prize money of €30,000) and the two challenges (€20,000 each) were announced at the ceremonial closing of ADIC on Friday afternoon.

The Austrian Defence Innovation Conference (ADIC) Internet