Vienna military commander urges immediate civilian service extension

Vienna’s military commander, Christian Habersatter, is calling for civilian service to be extended immediately, rather than waiting until 2029 at the earliest under the current reform proposal, ORF reported.

A draft of the military service reform was sent for review in early October. It proposes six months of basic military service, one month of unit training and two months of militia exercises. Habersatter said he would have preferred an “8 plus 2” model, with eight months of basic service and two months of militia exercises, as proposed by the military service commission. He said the draft would offer more training opportunities but require training to be spread out, while the 8 plus 2 option would be more economical.

The proposed civilian service extension would take effect only if fewer than 13,875 people register for military service in a calendar year. In that case, ordinary civilian service would last 11 months from the year after next, meaning the change could come into force no earlier than 2029. Habersatter said the delay meant lost time and that civilian service should be extended as soon as possible. He added that emergency-response organisations had sent positive signals about an extension.

Habersatter, who has held the Vienna military commander role since April, said there was no need to make military service more attractive. He said 80 per cent of conscripts would choose to serve again after completing their service.

He also pointed to possible threats from abroad, including special forces, drones and ballistic missiles, which could target critical infrastructure. The military needed to prepare for such threats, he said. The armed forces are due to present their work on Monday at Heldenplatz and the Burgtheater.