Austrian Armed Forces presented their report for 2024

In total, the Austrian Armed Forces were deployed for disaster relief operations 13 times in 2024. The Air Force was requested for six missions via the state warning centers of the federal states, completing approximately 280 flight hours and transporting a total of 850 personnel. The most challenging missions were the forest fire in Hinterwildalpen in Styria and the September floods in Lower Austria.

As part of its area and property protection mission, the Austrian Armed Forces guarded up to 30 selected properties, embassies, and facilities of the Jewish Community, completing approximately 50,000 days of deployment. Militia and professional soldiers monitored the borders – according to the Ministry of Defense, the number of illegal border crossings fell by around 82 percent compared to the previous year.

620 soldiers deployed abroad

In 2024, an average of 620 soldiers were deployed on up to 16 different missions abroad, with the focus on EUFOR in Bosnia and KFOR in Kosovo. Around 40 percent of the troops came from the militia. The year was also marked by the large-scale exercises "Schutzschild 24" and "EURAD 24," and the AIRPOWER24 air show. Furthermore, the Austrian Armed Forces successfully certified itself for the EU Battlegroup 2025.

In the training area, 76 people completed the FH Bachelor's program in Military Leadership, and 575 completed the Cadre Candidate Training program – a significant increase compared to 2023 (488). A total of 16,108 young people completed their basic military service. In addition, almost 44,000 young men and women in Austria were drafted. Of these, a total of 30,946 were found fit for service, 2,930 were temporarily unfit, and 9,617 were classified as unfit.

Proportion of female soldiers increased

A total of 213 women have opted for voluntary basic military service for women in 2024. As of Sunday, 570 women have volunteered since the introduction of "voluntary basic military service" for women in 2023, of which 330 have enlisted so far. This has increased the proportion of female soldiers to over 800.

Defense Minister Klaudia Tanner (ÖVP) expressed satisfaction with the results. The year 2024 had once again proven that the Austrian Armed Forces are "an important pillar of our security." Geopolitical events made it clear that military national defense is becoming increasingly important. "The Austrian Armed Forces, as Austria's strategic reserve, are particularly challenged here and will continue to be so in the future," Tanner said.