Klaudia Tanner

Klaudia Tanner
Portrait, 2020
Minister of Defense
Incumbent
Assumed office
7 January 2020
Chancellor
Preceded byThomas Starlinger
Member of the Landtag of Lower Austria
In office
22 March 2018 – 7 January 2020
Personal details
Born (1970-05-02) 2 May 1970
Scheibbs, Austria
PartyPeople's Party
SpouseMartin Tanner
Children1
EducationUniversity of Vienna

Klaudia Tanner (née Wallner, born 2 May 1970) is an Austrian politician of the People's Party (ÖVP) who has been serving as the minister of defense in the governments of Chancellors Sebastian Kurz, Alexander Schallenberg, Karl Nehammer, and Christian Stocker since January 2020.[1][2] From 2011 to 2020, she worked as the General Manager of Austria's political farmers' association.

Early life and education

Tanner was born in the small town of Scheibbs in Lower Austria. Early in her career, she worked in the cabinet of Minister of the Interior Ernst Strasser from 2001 to 2003 and for IT company Kapsch BusinessCom, a subsidiary of Kapsch from 2003 to 2010.

Political career

Already in the negotiations on a coalition government under Chancellor Sebastian Kurz following the 2017 elections, Tanner was considered as potential cabinet minister.[3]

After the 2019 elections, Tanner was appointed Minister of Defense by Kurz in January 2020, making her the first woman to hold the position.[4][5]

Under Tanner's leadership, Austria mobilized its military reservists for the first time since World War Two, asking them to fight the COVID-19 pandemic by helping with food supplies, medical support and police operations.[6] Her ministry also ordered 18 Leonardo AW169M helicopters in a deal with Italy in September 2020, replacing its fleet of 50-year-old Aérospatiale Alouette III helicopters.[7]

Criticism

In April 2026 the Austrian Court of Audit criticized the defense department's Black Hawk transport helicopter modernization and acquisition program.[8][9]

Personal life

Tanner lives in Gresten. She is married and has a daughter.

References

  1. ↑ "Klaudia Tanner wird Verteidigungsministerin". noe.ORF.at (in German). 1 January 2020. Retrieved 12 January 2020.
  2. ↑ Oy, I.-Mediat. "Itävallan uusi hallitus vannoi virkavalansa, Kurzista jälleen maailman nuorin pääministeri ohi Marinin". Ilkka (in Finnish). Retrieved 12 January 2020.
  3. ↑ Thomas Prior (21 November 2017), Österreichs erste Verteidigungsministerin? Die Presse.
  4. ↑ "Austria: Kurz sworn in as chancellor, completing comeback". Star Tribune. Archived from the original on 12 January 2020. Retrieved 12 January 2020.
  5. ↑ Berlin, Derek Scally in. "Untested Conservative-Green coalition takes office in Austria". The Irish Times. Retrieved 12 January 2020.
  6. ↑ Kirsti Knolle (23 March 2020), Austria mobilizes military reserves to fight coronavirus Reuters.
  7. ↑ Francois Murphy (21 September 2020), Austria ordering 18 Leonardo helicopters in deal with Italy Reuters.
  8. ↑ "Black Hawks: Modernisierung bestehender und Ankauf dreier zusätzlicher Transporthubschrauber verzögerte sich wegen grober Verfahrensfehler – Kosten stiegen, Pilotinnen und Piloten fehlten" [Black Hawks: The modernization of existing transport helicopters and the purchase of three additional ones were delayed due to serious procedural errors]. Der Rechnungshof (in Austrian German). Retrieved 10 April 2026.
  9. ↑ "Rechnungshof bemängelt Black-Hawk-Beschaffung" [Court of Auditors Criticizes Black Hawk Procurement]. news.ORF.at (in Austrian German). 10 April 2026. Retrieved 10 April 2026. [According to the court, there were shortcomings in the awarding process.]
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