Austria: extend military service?
In its final report, a commission of experts appointed by Defence Minister Klaudia Tanner has called for Austria to extend its military service, which at six months is currently the shortest compulsory military service in Europe. Of three models put forward, the commission has recommended eight months of basic military service plus two months of subsequent training. The decision now rests with the politicians.
Long overdue
The newspaper Oberösterreichische Nachrichten calls for accompanying measures:
“Our military was also a reflection of the Austrian soul in the age of neutrality. The army was valued as a disaster relief organisation after floods or avalanches. But combat? No one could or wanted to imagine that anymore. Global political developments, especially Russia's war of aggression in Ukraine, are finally forcing us to abandon this mentality. ... The call for military service to be made more attractive is at least as justified as extending the length of training. Time spent in the military should not be considered wasted for young men (or women, if they so choose). In many countries, military service is a career springboard because it opens doors to career training, studies, etc. Such opportunities should also be created in Austria.”
Reform must not stop here
Der Standard looks at pros and contras:
“From a military perspective the matter is clear: six months of basic military service is too short - especially given the increasingly complex weapons systems - to train soldiers who would be quickly deployable in an emergency. ... But there are also counter-arguments: two months of additional service also means that it will be two more months before thousands of young men become available to the labour market each year. This is quite a drawback given Austria's faltering economy and large budget deficit. ... If military service is to be extended, the goal must also be to make it more productive and effective. Otherwise, Tanner's much-vaunted 'making military service more attractive' will amount to nothing more than it still being two months shorter than alternative civilian service.”