Following the ÖVP-Neos blockade

New SPÖ push for military service reform

There is no way around reforming military service.(Bild: P. Huber)

The ÖVP and Neos have been locked in a “war of positions” over the debate on military service reform since January. The SPÖ now wants to end this and is making a new push to get the negotiations moving again. The Social Democrats are proposing a “middle-ground plan.” The “Krone” has the details.

Intensive negotiations on the future of military and civilian service have been underway for months. The military service commission appointed by the government outlined several proposals in its report presented in January. The “Austrian Model” favored by the commission calls for extending military service from six to eight months plus two months of mandatory reserve training, as well as adding two months of civil defense training to civilian service.

 has lacked a security strategy for years. Government negotiations have so far yielded no results because the ÖVP and Neos are at odds over their maximum demands. The ÖVP wants the “Austrian Model,” while Neos wants no extension at all. Just how complicated the situation is is also evident from the fact that the very foundation for this discussion—namely, the new security strategy—is blocked. Although the ministries involved have already completed their respective sections, the entire document is sitting in the Chancellery and has not been released.

SPÖ Defense Spokesperson Robert Laimer(Bild: Parlamentsdirektion/Johannes Zinner)

The SPÖ is now trying to bring both sides together with a “middle-ground plan” designed to strengthen Austria’s security. Specifically, the SPÖ proposes keeping military service at six months and introducing only mandatory reserve drills. Civilian service is to be supplemented with two months of civil defense drills.

SPÖ as mediator in the three-party coalition
“We have been negotiating intensively and constructively for months. Nevertheless, we are currently at an impasse. This government has proven in the past that it is capable of delivering solutions. With this in mind, we are attempting to find a solution,” SPÖ defense spokesperson Robert Laimer told the “Krone.”

His middle-ground plan, designed to bring both sides together, would strengthen national defense and civil defense while not restricting young people’s life plans.

Extending military service would be a major disruption to the lives of Austrian families and would have far-reaching effects on education, work, and the economy, according to the SPÖ. Therefore, military service should not be extended, but rather made more attractive and of higher quality. “Young people should experience a meaningful period during which they learn something for their future lives.”

The Social Democrats emphasize that they also “do not want to make civilian service less attractive, but rather make better use of its potential.” As with military service, the same principle should apply here: Only those who practice regularly maintain their skills.