Vienna faces temperatures of up to 39C this week and Austria’s coalition has agreed a reform of military and civilian service, plus more stories from Austria on Tuesday. Austria is militarily neutral and is not a member of Nato. (EPA Images pic)VIENNA: The Austrian government announced on Monday that it intends to extend compulsory military service from six to nine months in the future, reported German Press Agency (dpa).Ministers reached agreement on the issue after lengthy negotiations.The three-party coalition now intends to reach out to the right-wing Freedom Party (FPO) and the Greens in parliament, as a two-thirds majority is required for the change.The move is expected to come into force on Jan 1, 2027.The government said three months of compulsory reserve training would be added to the existing six months of basic military service, bringing the total period of compulsory military service to nine months.The changes will also affect Austria's alternative civilian service system.Initially, there will be no change to the current nine-month civilian service period.From 2027, however, people undertaking civilian service could voluntarily extend their service by two months.If certain military recruitment targets are not met, the two-month extension would become compulsory from 2028, the government added.With the move, the coalition – comprising the conservative People's Party (OVP), the Social Democrats (SPO) and the liberal Neos – is essentially following the recommendations of a commission of experts.
The reason for the move is said to be the security situation, which has changed completely since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.Austria is militarily neutral and is not a member of Nato.
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