Austria Military - 2023

GEOGRAPHICAL NAMES 

Military and security forces

Austrian Armed Forces (Bundesheer): Land Forces, Air Forces, Cyber Forces, Special Forces, Militia (reserves) (2023)

note: the federal police maintain internal security and report to the Ministry of the Interior 

Military expenditures

0.7% of GDP (2022 est.)

0.8% of GDP (2021)

0.7% of GDP (2020)

0.7% of GDP (2019)

0.7% of GDP (2018)

Military and security service personnel strengths

approximately 20-25,000 active duty personnel (includes active militia) (2023)

Military equipment inventories and acquisitions

the military's inventory includes a mix of domestically produced and imported weapons systems from European countries and the US; the Austrian defense industry produces a range of equipment and partners with other countries (2023)

Military service age and obligation

registration requirement at age 17, the legal minimum age for voluntary military service; men above the age of 18 are subject to compulsory military service; women may volunteer; compulsory service is for 6 months, or optionally, alternative civil/community service (Zivildienst) for 9 months (2023)

note 1: as of 2019, women made up about 4% of the military's full-time personnel

note 2: in a January 2013 referendum, a majority of Austrians voted in favor of retaining the system of compulsory military service (with the option of alternative/non-military service) instead of switching to a professional army system; approximately 40% of those liable to compulsory service have opted in favor of  alternative civil/community service

Military deployments

170 Bosnia-Herzegovina (EUFOR stabilization force); 250 Kosovo (NATO/KFOR); 200 Lebanon (UNIFIL) (2023)

Military - note

Austria is constitutionally militarily non-aligned but is an EU member and actively participates in EU peacekeeping and crisis management operations under the Common Security and Defense Policy; Austria is not a member of NATO but joined NATO’s Partnership for Peace framework in 1995 and participates in NATO-led crisis management and peacekeeping operations; as of 2023, more than 100,000 Austrian military and civilian personnel had taken part in more than 50 international peace support and humanitarian missions since 1960 (2023)

NOTE: The information regarding Austria on this page is re-published from the 2023 World Fact Book of the United States Central Intelligence Agency and other sources. No claims are made regarding the accuracy of Austria 2023 information contained here. All suggestions for corrections of any errors about Austria 2023 should be addressed to the CIA or the source cited on each page.