Austria’s new defence minister Hans Peter Doskozil (SPÖ) has said that he wants to extend the length of basic military service to help the army cope with the influx of refugees and migrants.
Austria’s Defence Minister is under pressure after it emerged that he used a luxury taxpayer-funded BMW and army chauffeur for a private trip from Zurich to France last week.
The Austrian army has withdrawn 100,000 items of aluminium dishware which troops used in the field as they were found to be “significantly scuffed” and concerns were raised about the possible implications for soldiers’ health.
Soldiers in Vienna have been carrying out anti-terrorism training exercises this week - but a report in the Kurier newspaper says that the majority of them didn’t have proper combat helmets or vehicles, and had problems with their radio equipment.
Austria’s army will be drastically restructured in an effort to cut costs, Defence Minister Gerald Klug (SPÖ) and Chief of Staff Othmar Commendam announced on Friday.
Austria is amending its defence act so that women who have volunteered for military service will now be treated the same as men when it comes to taking part in regular army drills.
The chief of Austria’s Air Support Command, Brigadier Andreas Putz, has warned that the government’s austerity measures are having a negative effect on disaster relief.
Leader of the conservative People's Party (ÖVP), Finance Minister Michael Spindelegger, has caused tension between the coalition parties by calling for a financial reform of the Austrian army.
The conservative People's Party's (ÖVP) military spokesman Bernd Schönegger has said that he wants to support the Minister of Defence Gerald Klug (Social Democrats/SPÖ), in demanding more money for the Austrian army.
A former elite Austrian army soldier is reported to have been arrested in Libya under suspicion of spying, and released after two and a half weeks after diplomatic intervention from Austria.
