Striedinger warns Russia poses existential threat to Europe

Austria’s highest-ranking military officer, General Staff Chief Rudolf Striedinger, says Russia poses an existential threat to Europe and that Ukraine’s continued resistance is protecting the continent. In an interview with noe.ORF.at, published by ORF, he also discussed Austria’s planned extension of military service.

Striedinger, who will retire at the end of September, said the Austrian armed forces could work with the government’s compromise of six months of basic military service followed by three months of militia training. The armed forces had called for eight months of basic service and two months of militia exercises.

“For us, everything longer than the current period is a gain,” Striedinger said. He added that it was important to use the total nine months flexibly, including by starting troop training after the six-month basic training period. This would allow recruits to enter the militia as operational soldiers, he said.

Striedinger said the compromise, which still requires approval by the National Council, was acceptable. He noted that changes linked to alternative service require a two-thirds majority, meaning at least one opposition party must fully support the proposal.

He described countering hybrid warfare as a task for the entire state. Society, rather than the military alone, was being targeted, he said, adding that Austria needed to revive its system of comprehensive national defence.

Drones were part of the threat, but the cyber domain represented a permanent danger that was felt every day, Striedinger said. Military confrontation was the extreme form of hybrid warfare, he added, while the armed forces also had roles at several earlier stages in cooperation with other parts of the state.

Asked about drone attacks involving explosives in Leipzig, which Berlin had clearly blamed on Russia, Striedinger said Europe faced an existential threat from Moscow.

“As Europeans, we can currently be very grateful that Ukraine is waging the defensive struggle for Europe,” he said. He described continued support for Ukraine and its survival as a state as justified.

Striedinger said the fall of Ukraine would make the situation “really unpleasant” because it was unclear where Russia would stop. If former Soviet territories remained among Russian President Vladimir Putin’s objectives, he said, the Baltic states could also be at risk.

Asked whether Austria’s neutrality was still enough to protect the country, Striedinger said Austria was not neutral in this context. He pointed to the country’s support for Ukraine under a decision by the EU Council, saying Austria was backing Ukraine to an extent that would not otherwise be possible for a neutral state.

Striedinger was born in Wiener Neustadt in 1961 and began his military career in 1979. He served as military commander of Lower Austria from 2011 to 2016, moved to the military leadership of the Defence Intelligence Office in 2016 and became chief of the General Staff of the Austrian armed forces in 2022. Harald Vodosek, also from Wiener Neustadt, was presented as his successor in September 2026.