Austrian Armed Forces The Österreichisches Bundesheer ( German for " Austrian Federal Army " , officially referred to as the Austrian Armed Forces in English ) , is the name for the military of the Republic of Austria . The main branches are Joint Forces ( Streikräfteführungskommando ; SKFüKdo ) , which consist of Land Forces ( Landstreitkräfte ) , Air Forces ( Luftstreitkräfte ) , International Missions ( Internationale Einsätze ) and Special Forces ( Spezialeinsatzkräfte ) , next to Mission Support ( Kommando Einsatzunterstützung ; KdoEU ) and Joint Command Support Centre ( Führungsunterstützungszentrum ; FüUZ ) . Austria , a landlocked country , today has no navy ; in the period 1958 to 2006 however the Austrian army operated a naval squadron of patrol boats on the River Danube . That duty has been assumed by the Bundespolizei ( Federal Police ) . History . Between 1918 and 1921 , the Austrian semi - regular army was called Volkswehr ( " People ' s Defence " ) , and fought against Yugoslavian army units occupying parts of Carinthia . It has been known as " Bundesheer " since then , except when Austria was a part of Nazi Germany ( 1938 – 1945 ; see Anschluss ) . The Austrian Army did develop a defense plan in 1938 against Germany , but politics prevented it from being implemented . In 1955 , Austria declared its Everlasting Neutrality and made neutrality a constitutional law . The Austrian Military ' s main purpose since then has been the protection of Austria ' s neutrality . With the end of the Cold War , the Austrian military have increasingly assisted the border police in controlling the influx of illegal immigrants through Austrian borders . The war in the neighbouring Balkans resulted in the lifting of the restrictions on the range of weaponry of the Austrian military that had been imposed by a 1955 international treaty . Mission . The main constitutional tasks of today ' s Austrian military are : Organization . Under the constitution , the president is the nominal commander in chief of the armed forces . In reality , the chancellor has operational authority , exercised through the minister for national defense . The chancellor also chairs the National Defense Council , which has as its members a vice chairman , the minister for national defense , an appointee of this minister , the general troop inspector of the armed forces , and a parliamentary representative . The minister for national defense , acting in cooperation with the minister for interior , coordinates the work of the four major committees under the National Defense Council : the Military Defense Committee ; the Civil Defense Committee ; the Economic Defense Committee ; and the Psychological Defense Committee . The general troop inspector acts as the senior military adviser to the minister for national defense , assists the minister in the exercise of his authority , and , as head of the general staff , is responsible for planning . However , the army commander exercises direct operational control of the Bundesheer in both peacetime and wartime . Article 79 of the constitution , as amended in 1985 , states that the army is entrusted with the military defense of the country . Insofar as the legally constituted civil authority requests its cooperation , the army is further charged with protecting constitutional institutions and their capacity to act , as well as the democratic freedoms of the inhabitants ; maintaining order and security in the interior ; and rendering aid in disasters and mishaps of extraordinary scope . In administering the armed forces , the Ministry for National Defense is organized into four principal sections and the inspectorate general : Section I deals with legal and legislative matters ; Section II handles personnel and recruitment matters , including discipline and grievances ; Section III is concerned with troop command , schools , and other facilities , and it also comprises departments G - 1 through G - 5 as well as a separate department for air operations ; and Section IV deals with procurement and supply , quartermaster matters , armaments , and ordnance ( see fig . 12 ) . The general troop inspectorate is a separate section of the ministry with responsibility for coordination and fulfillment of the missions of the armed forces . It encompasses a general staff department , an attaché department , and planning and inspection groups . The armed forces consist solely of the army , of which the air force is considered a constituent part . As of 1993 , the total active complement of the armed forces was 52 , 000 , of whom 20 , 000 to 30 , 000 were conscripts undergoing training of six to eight months . The army had 46 , 000 personnel on active duty ( including an estimated 19 , 500 conscripts ) , and the air force had 6 , 000 personnel ( 2 , 400 conscripts ) . Army . Cold War structure . Under the area defense strategy , which had determined the army ' s organizational structure until 1993 , the army was divided into three principal elements : the standing alert force ( Bereitschaftstruppe ) of active units , including the air division ; the mobile militia ( Mobile Landwehr ) , organized as eight mechanized reserve brigades to be deployed to key danger spots in the event of mobilization ; and the stationary militia ( Raumgebundene Landwehr ) of twenty - six reserve infantry regiments organized for territorial defense . Both the mobile militia and the stationary militia were brought up to strength only in times of mobilization or during periods allotted for refresher training , usually three weeks in June . Training of conscripts was conducted by twenty - eight training and equipment - holding regiments ( Landwehrstammregimenter ) . On mobilization , these regiments would disband , with their cadre reassigned to lead reserve units or form replacement regiments and battalions . At the army level were a headquarters , guard , and special forces battalions and an artillery battalion at cadre strength . Two corps headquarters , one in the east at Graz and one in the west at Salzburg , would , on mobilization , command the provincially organized units in their respective zones . Each corps included artillery , antitank , antiaircraft , and engineering battalions and a logistics regiment , all on a cadre basis . Each of the nine provincial military commands supervised the training and maintenance activities of their training and equipment - holding regiments . On mobilization , these nine commands would convert to a divisional headquarters commanding mobile militia , stationary militia , and other independent units . The only active units immediately available in an emergency were those of the standing alert force of some 15 , 000 career soldiers supplemented by eight - month conscripts . The force was organized as a mechanized division consisting of three armored infantry brigades . Each brigade was composed of one tank battalion , one mechanized infantry battalion , and one selfpropelled artillery battalion . Two of the brigades had antitank battalions equipped with self - propelled weapons . The divisional headquarters was at Baden near Vienna ; the three brigades were based in separate locations , also in the northeast of the country . New Army Structure . The New Army Structure — the reorganization plan announced in late 1991 and scheduled to be in place sometime in 1995 — replaces the previous two - corps structure with one of three corps . The new corps is headquartered at Baden , with responsibility for the two northeastern provinces of Lower Austria and Upper Austria . Army headquarters will be eliminated , as will the divisional structure for the three standing brigades . The three corps — in effect , regional commands — will be directly subordinate to the general troop inspector . The three mechanized brigades will be placed directly under the new Third Corps at Baden , although in the future one brigade may be assigned to each of the three corps . The mobile militia will be reduced from eight to six mechanized brigades . Each of the nine provincial commands will have at least one militia regiment of two to six battalions as well as local defense companies . Total personnel strength — both standing forces and reserves — is to be materially contracted under the new plan . The fully mobilized army will decline in strength from 200 , 000 to 120 , 000 . The standing alert force will be reduced from 15 , 000 to 10 , 000 . Reaction time is to be radically shortened so that part of the standing alert force can be deployed within hours to a crisis zone ( for example , one adjacent to the border with Slovenia ) . A task force ready for immediate deployment will be maintained by one of the mechanized brigades on a rotational basis . Separate militia training companies to which all conscripts are assigned will be dismantled ; in the future , conscripts will undergo basic training within their mobilization companies . Conscripts in the final stages of their training could supplement the standing forces by being poised for operational deployment at short notice . Promotion is not based solely on merit but on position attained , level of education , and seniority . Officers with advanced degrees ( for which study at the National Defense Academy qualifies ) can expect to attain grade VIII before reaching the retirement age of sixty to sixty - five . Those with a baccalaureate degree can expect to reach grade VII ( colonel ) , and those without university training will retire as captains or majors . Career NCOs form part of the same comprehensive personnel structure . It is common for NCOs to transfer at some stage in their careers to civilian status at the equivalent grade , either in the Ministry for National Defense or in the police or prison services after further training . Luftstreitkräfte . Austria ' s air force ( " " Luftstreitkräfte " " ) has as its missions the defense of Austrian airspace , tactical support of Austrian ground forces , reconnaissance and military transport , and search - and - rescue support when requested by civil authorities . Until 1985 , when the first of twenty - four Saab 35 Draken were delivered , the country had remained essentially without the capacity to contest violations of its airspace . The Drakens , reconditioned after having served the Swedish Air Force since the early 1960s , were armed , in accordance with the restrictions on missiles in the State Treaty of 1955 , only with a cannon . However , following Austria ' s revised interpretation of its obligations under the treaty , a decision was made in 1993 to procure AIM - 9 Sidewinder air - to - air missile s . The first of these missiles were purchased from Swedish air force inventory , while later a higher performance model was acquired directly from the United States , with deliveries commencing in 1995 . French Mistral surface - to - air missile s systems were purchased to add ground - based protection against air attack . The first of the systems arrived in Austria in 1993 ; final deliveries concluded in 1996 . The Drakens were retired in 2005 and 12 F - 5E Tiger II were leased from Switzerland to avoid a gap in the Austrian air defense capabilities until the first Austrian Eurofighter Typhoon units became operational in 2007 . Besides one squadron of 15 Eurofighter Typhoons , the air force has a squadron with 28 Saab 105 trainers , which double as reconnaissance and close air support planes . The helicopter fleet includes 23 AB 212 helicopters used as light transport . 24 French Alouette III are in service as search - and - rescue helicopters . Furthermore the air force fields 11 OH - 58B Kiowa as light scout helicopters . After Austria had to request assistance from the United States Army , Swiss Air Force , French Air Force , and German Bundeswehr to evacuate survivors after the 1999 Galtür Avalanche a decision was taken to equip the Austrian Air Force with medium sized transport helicopters . Thus in 2002 Austria acquired 9 UH - 60 Black Hawk helicopters . In 2003 the air force received 3 C - 130K Hercules transport aircraft to support the armed forces in their UN peacekeeping and humanitarian activities . Austrian Special Operations Forces . The Jagdkommando ( lit . " Hunting Command " ) is the Austrian Armed Forces ' Special Operations group . The duties of this elite unit match those of its foreign counterparts , such as the United States Army Special Forces , being amongst others Counter - terrorism and counter - insurgency . Jagdkommando soldiers are highly trained professionals whose thorough and rigorous training enables them to take over when tasks or situations outgrow the capabilities and specialisation of conventional units . Personnel , Conscription , Training , and Reserves . Until 1971 Austrian males were obligated to serve nine months in the armed forces , followed by four days of active service every two years for training and inspection . In 1971 the period of initial service was reduced to six months , followed by a total of sixty days of refresher training in the reserves . In the early 1990s , about 45 , 000 conscripts completed their initial military training every year , and 80 , 000 reservists participated in some form of exercises each year . Reducing the mobilization strength of the army to 120 , 000 under the New Army Structure plan is to be accomplished in part by limiting initial training of recruits to six months , followed by reducing the period allotted for refresher training from twenty years to ten years . Each reservist is to receive training over a twelve - day period every second year during his first ten years of reserve duty , generally not extending beyond the time he reaches his mid - thirties . The reduced need for conscripts corresponds to a lower pool of young men because of a declining birth rate . The existing availability of about 40 , 000 fit trainees annually as of 1993 is expected to fall to barely 30 , 000 by the year 2000 and to 26 , 000 by 2015 . In 2006 conscription was reduced to six months total . Mandatory reserve training was abolished . Since then the army reserve battalions ( Miliz ) are suffering from a lack of new reservists and are therefore overaging . Under a 1974 law , conscientious objectors can be assigned work as farm laborers , medical orderlies , or other occupations in lieu of military service . Exemptions from service are liberally granted — in 1992 about 12 , 000 persons were exempted , a great increase over the 1991 total of 4 , 500 . The increase occurred after a new law , valid only for 1992 and 1993 , no longer required young men to present their objections to the military in a credible way . Previously , that had not been the case . In 1990 , for example , two young men rejected by the alternate service commission on the grounds that they did not present their beliefs in a credible manner were sentenced to prison terms of three months and one month , respectively . Conscripts may attain the rank of private first class by the completion of initial training . Those with leadership potential may serve a longer period to obtain noncommissioned officer ( NCO ) status in the militia . Those volunteering for the career service can , after three to four years , apply to attend the NCO academy and later a senior NCO course to qualify as warrant officers . Both regular and militia officer candidates undergo a one - year program of basic training . After a further three years , regular officer candidates attending the military academy at Wiener Neustadt and militia officer candidates undergoing periodic intensified refresher training qualify as second lieutenants . The reserve obligation of conscripts generally ends by the time they reach their mid - thirties ; NCOs and officers usually end their reserve status at a later age depending on their rank and specialization . By the early 1990s , some 1 . 3 million men had completed their initial service and refresher training obligations and had no further active - duty commitment . The military personnel system is an integral part of a comprehensive civil service system . The nine officer ranks from officer candidate through general correspond to grades I through IX of the civil service system . The highest grade , IX , may be occupied by a section chief ( undersecretary ) , a career ambassador , or a three - star general . A grade VIII position may be held by a departmental counselor , a career minister , or a brigadier general . Salary levels are the same for both civil and military personnel in the equivalent grades , although various allowances may be added , such as flight pay or hazardous - duty pay . The system of promotion in the Austrian military , which offers no incentive for early retirement , means that the military is top - heavy with senior officers . The New Army Structure , which is intended to result in many fewer active - duty and reserve commands , compounds the difficulty . Personnel changes can be implemented only gradually , as the surplus of officers shrinks by attrition . As of 1991 , the army had four officers of general rank , fifty - nine at the rank of brigadier general ( one star ) , 155 colonels , and 254 lieutenant colonels . The education of career officers is conducted at the Maria Theresia Military Academy at Wiener Neustadt , thirty kilometers south of Vienna , which was founded in 1752 . Young men who have completed their university entrance requirements are eligible to compete for places . The three - year course graduated 212 students in 1990 . At the National Defense Academy in Vienna , which has a curriculum comparable to those of the National Defense University and the Army War College in the United States , operational and troop commanders of fieldgrade rank study for three years in preparation for general staff and command positions . The NCO school is located at Enns near Linz . Troop schools provide continuous specialized courses for officers and NCOs in artillery , air defense , armor , combat engineering , communications , and the like . Women have been accepted for service in the Austrian armed forces since 1998 . All service branches are open for female volunteers . In a public opinion survey in 1988 , about 66 percent of those polled approved of opening the military to voluntary service by women ; only 9 percent favored obligatory service . Appearance . The service uniform of the Austrian army is olive drab , the dress uniform is grey ; for formal occasions a white uniform may be worn . The air force uniform is identical , with the addition of wings worn on the right jacket breast — gold for officers and silver for enlisted personnel . Branches of service are identified by beret colors : scarlet for the honour Guard ; green for infantry ; black for armor ; cherry for air force ; and dark blue for quartermaster . Insignia of rank are worn on the jacket lapel of the dress uniform ( silver stars on a green or gold shield ) and on the epaulets of the field uniform ( white , silver or gold stars on an olive drab field ) . Equipment . The Austrian military has a wide variety of equipment . Recently , Austria has spent considerable amounts of money modernizing its military arsenal . Leopard 2 main battle tanks , Ulan and Pandur infantry fighting vehicle s , C - 130 Hercules transport planes , S - 70 Black Hawk utility helicopters , and Eurofighter Typhoon multi - purpose combat aircraft have been purchased , along with new helicopters to replace the inadequate ones used after the 1999 Galtür Avalanche . Austria ' s current equipment includes : Rank structure . Of the eight enlisted ranks , only a sergeant ( Wachtmeister ) or above is considered an NCO . There are two warrant officer ranks — Offiziersstellvertreter and Vizeleutnant . The lowest commissioned rank of officer candidate ( Fähnrich ) - - is held by cadets at the military academy and by reserve officers in training for the rank second lieutenant . To maintain conformity with grade levels in the civil service , there are only two ranks of general in the personnel system — brigadier general ( one star ) and general lieutenant ( three stars ) . However , the ranks of major general ( two stars ) and full general ( equivalent to four stars ) are accorded to officers holding particular military commands . International operations . Currently ( April 1 , 2013 ) there are " Bundesheer " forces in : Traditions . Some of the traditions of the old Austro - Hungarian Army continue to be carried on in " Bundesheer " . For example , the most famous regiment in the Bundesheer is the " Hoch und Deutschmeister Regiment " , now known as Jägerbataillon Wien 1 based in " Maria Theresien Kaserne " , named after Empress Maria Theresa of Austria . Also nearly every other regiment of the Bundesheer carries on traditions of the famous Austro - Hungarian regiments like " Kaiserjäger " , " Rainer " , etc . Naval Squadron ( 1958 - 2006 ) . In 1958 the patrol boat " RPC Oberst Brecht " was commissioned as a naval squadron of the Army to patrol the Danube in protection of the country ' s neutrality . The larger vessel " RPB Niederösterreich " was also commissioned 12 years later . The squadron comprised two officers and thirty men . The company which built the vessels closed in 1994 . With the fall of Communism and the inability to maintain and repair the vessels , the squadron was disbanded in 2006 .