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On Friday, February 23, 2024, the military ceremony to take over the newly retired sergeants took place in Enns. 345 young non-commissioned officers, including 18 women, have completed their 18-month training.
The ceremony for the professional and militia soldiers took place in the presence of Defense Minister Klaudia Tanner, state parliament member Christian Dörfel, representing the Governor of Upper Austria and Chief of General Staff General Rudolf Striedinger at the main square in Enns. After the one and a half year of training, the decommissioned sergeants take on responsibility for the troops as group commanders during operations at home and abroad and in the training of Federal Army recruits.
“I would like to warmly congratulate the soldiers on achieving the rank of sergeant, which they will carry from today. The members of the non-commissioned officer corps are the backbone of the army and play a crucial role in the daily service in training, exercises and especially in national and international operations of the Austrian Armed Forces. With this promotion, they take on significant responsibility for their unit and serve as a role model for future generations of soldiers. From now on you have the opportunity to demonstrate the knowledge you have acquired and your leadership skills. I wish them good luck, success and satisfaction in their new positions,” said Defense Minister Klaudia Tanner.
270 professional soldiers (17 women) and 75 militia soldiers (one woman) passed the final exams of non-commissioned officer training. The decommissioning took place in Enns on Thursday. 80 of the professional and militia soldiers (including three women) come from Lower Austria, followed by Styria with 70 participants (including four women), followed by Upper Austria and Vienna with 38 men and one woman each, Carinthia follows with 36 men and three Women. The state of Salzburg will receive 29 men and three women, Tyrol will receive 24 men and two women, Vorarlberg will welcome 16 men and Burgenland will receive 14 men and one woman.
The best of the vintage comes from Burgenland. Sergeant Marie Ochsenhofer, assigned as deputy group commander of the 2nd hunter company of the 19th hunter battalion in Güssing, achieved eight awards. Defense Minister Klaudia Tanner presented the gold HUAk ring to the best student in the course as a visible symbol of the excellent performance achieved.
The graduates of the 7th cadre candidate training chose “Platoon Leader Franz Taschler” as their year name. Taschler (1887 to 1933) was called up as a reservist in 1914 and served in the First World War with the kk Tyrolean State Rifle Regiment “Innichen” III, first on the Eastern Front (Galicia) and later on the Southern Front. For his dedication in combat, he received several awards, including the Gold Medal for Bravery. After the war he earned his living as a mountain farmer. Due to the reference to the course's namesake, "Platoon Leader Franz Taschler", a delegation from the Tyrol Imperial Rifle Association took part in the ceremony with a flag squad.
The Army NCO Academy in Enns is responsible for the training, further education and training of NCOs in the Austrian Armed Forces to become future leaders. The Army Noncommissioned Officer Academy has trained more than 1995 graduates in 55.000 specialist areas since 60.
