Militia system in danger: Federal Army Commission raises the alarm!

Militia system in danger: Federal Army Commission raises the alarm!

The parliamentary Federal Army Commission has determined in its current annual report 2024 alarming signs regarding the militia system of the Federal Army. According to Oe24 , the chairman Reinhard Bösch (FPÖ) said that the militia system no longer works in many volunteers. This is particularly emphasized by a significant lack of personnel that is perceived as increasingly problematic.

195 complaint procedures were initiated in 2023, which primarily concerned training and personnel issues. In this context, the militia system is described as an "integral component" of the Federal Army in order to achieve the necessary number of mobilization of 55,000 soldiers. The report emphasizes that the need for officers 58 % and which is only 37 % covered in non -commissioned officers.

Lack of personnel and recruitment

The Federal Army Commission sees the greatest challenge for national defense in the lack of personnel. In addition to the existing standby level, there is an urgent need to make voluntary basic military service more attractive. The Federal Ministry of State Defense (BMLV) announced that the basic charges of the basic defense servants will be increased by 9.14 % from January 1, 2024. In addition, a salary reform law is being developed, which is intended to offer improved entry salaries, which is also due to the criticism of a lack of salary compensation for bachelor's degrees from officers.

Examples of the challenges in recruitment are the defects in the care and training of soldiers. In 278 complaints processes 2023, in addition to training questions, the staff and the entire infrastructure also became a mirror image. External recordings during the service and inappropriate expressions have also also been denounced.

disciplinary questions and mental health

The Commission has also increasingly pointed out psychological complaints in recent years. In the first half of 2024, only 1,811 of the 17,000 liable for position were temporarily unsuitable, around 5,000 were classified as unsuitable. This is related to an increase in psychological diagnoses such as depression and anxiety disorders, which is partly due to the Covid pandemic. The BMLV is working on various programs for suicide prevention and plans to further advance training and sensitization measures for extremism in the army.

In addition, the Federal Army Commission registered incidents such as sexual harassment and structural disciplinary problems that required a critical analysis of internal processes and training. In 2023 there were several test procedures that affected both home care for basic military servants and the treatment of symptoms for sexual harassment, which could lead to necessary changes in the company.

The militia currently comprises 21,000 permanent, exercise -related soldiers and 14,000 temporary soldiers without an obligation to exercise. An expert commission led by Defense Minister Klaudia Tanner (ÖVP) will check whether basic military service has to be reformed by autumn 2024, which is regarded as an essential step to improve structural problems in the Bundesheer.

Overall, the report of the parliamentary Federal Army Commission shows significant progress in the material equipment of the militia, but the need for further fine adjustments in the system remains evident. The BMLV endeavors to continuously increase both the attractiveness and the quality of the services in the Bundesheer in order to meet the challenges of modern national defense. This also includes measures to obtain and bind personnel in an increasingly competitive labor market situation, as can be seen from the report Parlament.gv.at

With a view to the current developments and the increasing requirements, it remains to be seen whether the initiatives for recruitment and binding will show their desired effects. In order to be able to cope with the challenges of today's security system, comprehensive reforms and adjustments are still necessary, which is discussed in detail in