"Not with us"

Military service reform is once again hanging in the balance

The extension of mandatory military service has been a difficult issue from the start.(Bild: Klemens Groh)

It’s neither moving forward nor backward. Military service reform is once again hanging in the balance. The sticking point is civilian service. Talks with the Greens are taking place again this week. But they are anything but enthusiastic. The approval of at least one coalition party is required. The FPÖ has all but pulled out.

The government submitted the bill for review a month ago. That review period ends on Thursday. The first major reform in 20 years calls for an extension of military service based on a 6+1+2 model. Six months of basic military service are followed by one month of troop training and two months of reserve exercises within a ten-year period. In return, the pay for basic military service personnel will be raised to 1,000 euros. They will also be granted one week of leave.

For those performing civilian service, little will change for the time being. The duration of service remains at nine months. The government’s plans call for civilian service to be permanently extended to eleven months if the number of active-duty soldiers falls below 13,875. However, this will not happen until 2029 at the earliest. This is precisely where the rub lies.

The political debate over extending military service has triggered a rush to sign up for civilian service.(Bild: Krone-Collage/Patrick Huber)

Austrian Armed Forces spokesperson Brigadier Michael Bauer: 

The number of applications for civilian service shows that a rush to enroll in alternative service has already begun, even before the reform has been officially approved. Calls for an immediate extension of civilian service are growing louder. This is also being demanded—primarily by the military—in the review statements. The new Chief of the General Staff, Harald Vodosek, has also recently spoken out on this issue.

Erwin Hameseder, the Militia Commissioner, is also once again appealing to policymakers to back down on this issue and “stop the rush to civilian service.” He also doubts that the planned implementation of the reform will take place on January 1.

The governing parties are still sticking to the timetable. Following the conclusion of the review, there will be renewed talks with the Greens this week. A decision in Parliament could then be made in December, and the reform could take effect as scheduled at the beginning of the year.

The Greens want higher pay for civil service workers.(Bild: APA/GEORG HOCHMUTH)

Party leader Leonore Gewessler reiterates once again that the pay for civil service workers must also be increased if the service is extended. “It works for military service, so it works for civil service too. There will be no double discrimination with the Greens.” This is out of the question for the ÖVP, because it would make military service less attractive again.

For the People’s Party, it is also out of the question to pass a resolution extending military service alone with a government majority. The opposition’s votes are needed only for the civil service. Such an approach would be a death blow to the army, according to the ÖVP. The hopes of the ÖVP and SPÖ once again rest with Commander-in-Chief Federal President Alexander Van der Bellen, who could appeal to the conscience of his former party colleague.

Another possible compromise: the delayed extension of civilian service would take effect as early as 2028, rather than 2029. The NEOS still cite the existing government resolution.

The FPÖ has already taken itself out of the picture
Negotiations with the FPÖ are scheduled for next week. Behind closed doors, however, the NEOS and SPÖ in particular doubt that these talks will amount to anything. It is said that concessions have already been made to the FPÖ on several points, but they keep making new demands (a guarantee of neutrality) because they do not want to vote in favor of the measure. Among other things, the Freedom Party argues that the delayed extension of civilian service would create a completely unnecessary personnel shortfall in the army.