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  • Austrian Army

    Neutral Austria votes to keep military draft

    (Reuters) - Austrians voted to keep military conscription on Sunday, bucking a trend towards replacing conscripts with professional armies in Western Europe that began with the end of the Cold War.

    The neutral Alpine nation that once stood at the frontier between the Warsaw Pact and NATO voted 60 percent in favor of maintaining the draft, which is seen as binding civil society to the military and instilling a sense of citizenship in young men.

    The result is a blow to Chancellor Werner Faymann's Social Democrats, who had argued a smaller, professional force would be more suited to modern military reality, more cost-efficient and fairer to young people.

    The 45,000 strong Austrian armed forces fight no wars but are active in international peacekeeping, especially in ex-Yugoslavia and the Golan Heights, and are also highly visible in dealing with domestic natural catastrophes such as floods.

    "I'm happier having people of all psychological types in the army, not just people who are really into it," said Andreas Gorbach, a 53-year-old advertising consultant who voted for the draft despite saying he did not enjoy his own time in the army.

    Much of Western Europe has scrapped compulsory military service in the last two decades. Germany phased it out in 2011, following France, Belgium, Spain, the Netherlands and others who have switched to voluntary forces.

    Britain scrapped conscription in 1960.

    Many experts had argued that Austria, where six months in the military or nine months of community service are still compulsory for all 18-year-old men, should follow suit.

    "What Austria requires is a professional army that is perhaps smaller but more capable," said Henrik Heidenkamp, research fellow in defense, industries and society at the Royal United Services Institute in London.

    "You need to spend a lot of resources, not only financial resources but also human resources, in order to train these people ... and in the end basically they drop out without really having deployed these skills that they were trained for."

    The Austrian armed services have a budget of about 2 billion euros ($2.7 billion), or 0.6 percent of GDP.

    Many voters were swayed by warnings from emergency services organizations such as the Red Cross, who had said they would not be able to cope without the 14,000 young men who opt for community service each year.

    CONTEST

    Petra, a 39-year-old lawyer casting her vote in favor of ending conscription in Vienna on Sunday, disagreed.

    "Community service clearly borders on forced labor," she said. "We should pay for this work more fairly and should only let it be done by those - men and women, and of whatever age - who actually want to do it and are interested."

    According to first results, participation was a better-than-expected 50 percent in the referendum, which was called only because the Social Democrats and their junior coalition partner, the conservative People's Party (OVP), had reached a stalemate.

    It is the first real contest between the ruling parties, who are becoming more openly antagonistic to one another as they gear up for several state polls in the coming months, culminating in national elections by September at the latest.

    "The government has brought about an ersatz election with the referendum," said Peter Filzmaier, professor of political communication at the Danube University, Krems.

    The far right-wing Freedom Party (FPO), which wanted to keep the draft, and eurosceptic Team Stronach have gained ground against the centrists over the past months.

    However, it is unclear whether they have enough in common with the OVP to be able to form a right-of-centre coalition.

    Advertising consultant Gorbach said: "Both parties' arguments were idiotic ... The OVP and the FPO got a gift they did nothing to deserve."

  • #2
    Is this where the inspiration for the RDF free work has come from !!!

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    • #3
      They are paid but just lower than professionals

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      • #4
        I did a long weekend with them in a conscript base just outsiðe Vienna, their training is very basic, the conditions are spotless but really basic, the grub likewise very basic. However they are decent enough, idealistic and proud, they had at the time a battalion ( yes a Bn) of dogs and handlers and they were much better equipped than we were. I must dig out the pictures.
        Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold;
        Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world,
        The blood-dimmed tide is loosed, and everywhere***
        The ceremony of innocence is drowned;
        The best lack all conviction, while the worst
        Are full of passionate intensity.

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        • #5
          did time with them in kosovo jiont armour patrols checkpoint training there senior nco,s and officers
          there were very eager to learn but rigid also the food in there camp was muck

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          • #6
            Austria buying 18 Leonardo AW169M helicopters to replace Alouette III



            Following yesterday's local reports that the Austrian government was buying 18 Leonardo AW169M helicopters to replace its ageing Alouette III models, the defense ministry has now confirmed the decision. The light intermediate twin-engine AW169M that is being built by Italy's Leonardo will replace

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            • #7
              Didnt they also take on 3 UH 60s?

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              • #8
                Originally posted by GoneToTheCanner View Post
                Didnt they also take on 3 UH 60s?
                They also operate Bell 206 and 212s.
                I think they held on tho the A3 for as long as they did because of its ability at high altitudes. Many other helis struggle in the thin air when working around the Alpen mountain tops.
                For now, everything hangs on implementation of the CoDF report.

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                • #9
                  Originally posted by GoneToTheCanner View Post
                  Didnt they also take on 3 UH 60s?
                  They did order 3 additional S-70s to be delivered 2020/2021 to bring their fleet up to 12 Blackhawks.

                  The Blackhawks were first ordered after Galtür avalanche where the limitations of the older helicopters was shown up against the US Army Blackhawks that came to support the rescue efforts. Compared to the A3 it can fly as high but lift a lot more.

                  There older Blackhawks are going through a major upgrade process at the moment.

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                  • #10
                    the 169s are to replace anything that's not a Blackhawk. the Typhoons are being sold and they are casting about for a replacement fighter that doesnt cost the earth to buy and operate.

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                    • #11
                      Originally posted by GoneToTheCanner View Post
                      the 169s are to replace anything that's not a Blackhawk. the Typhoons are being sold and they are casting about for a replacement fighter that doesnt cost the earth to buy and operate.
                      Have you a source for the statement about the replacement of everything other than the Blackhawks?
                      So far the press statements have only referred to the replacement of the 21 A3s not the 23 AB212s or the 10 OH58s. To go down from 54 airframes to just 18 is a massive cut!

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                      • #12
                        TBF the AW139 and it's variants is considered the logcal successor to the AB212 in use by Austria.
                        I'm not sure what the OH58 is used for but there are better aircraft out there. I have not heard of any plans to replace them in Austrian service either.
                        For now, everything hangs on implementation of the CoDF report.

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                        • #13
                          Das Bundesheer schützt die Einwohnerinnen und Einwohner Österreichs: Vor Angriffen von außen, wenn die Sicherheit im Inneren bedroht ist und bei Naturkatastrophen oder großen Unglücksfällen. Auch im Ausland leistet das Heer seinen Beitrag für Sicherheit und Frieden.

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                          • #14
                            Originally posted by GoneToTheCanner View Post
                            Thanks, I have read everything and they only speak about the replacement of the "Allouette" III.

                            23. Welche Hubschrauber ersetzt der AW169M?

                            Er ersetzt die "Alouette" III, die nach 50 Jahren am Ende ihrer technischen Lebensdauer sind. Alle anderen Modelle fliegen weiter.
                            Which helicopters will the AW169M replace?

                            It will replace the "Alouette" III which after 50 years are at the end of the service life. All other models will continue in service.

                            24. Welcher Hubschraubertyp wird als nächster ersetzt?

                            Die zehn Stück OH-58 können nach derzeitigem Stand noch bis 2030 betrieben werden und sind dann zu ersetzen.
                            Which helicopter will be the next to be replaced?

                            The 10 examples of the OH-58 are currently expected to serve until 2030 and will then be replaced.

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                            • #15
                              Originally posted by na grohmiti View Post
                              TBF the AW139 and it's variants is considered the logcal successor to the AB212 in use by Austria.
                              I'm not sure what the OH58 is used for but there are better aircraft out there. I have not heard of any plans to replace them in Austrian service either.
                              The OH-58 is used for mainly scouting and liaison, but they can be armed to perform escort duty also.

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