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The “voluntary basic military service” model for women started around a year ago. The aim of the project was to give women low-threshold access to the armed forces. There are currently a total of 755 female soldiers on duty. 257 women submitted a registration for “voluntary basic military service”; Of these, 143 women have already been called up. 137 have already enlisted and 100 of them are currently active.
“One of the goals of our department is to increase the proportion of women and especially that of female soldiers in the Austrian Armed Forces. And we succeeded! With the introduction of voluntary basic military service, we were able to increase the proportion of female soldiers to five percent, which is the highest level since 1998. This measure not only strengthens the workforce in our department, but shows that our innovative projects are having an impact. We will continue on our path to integrate even more women into the ministry and increase the proportion of female soldiers in the armed forces,” said Defense Minister Klaudia Tanner.
Since April 1, 2023, “voluntary basic military service” has made it possible for women, without any further obligation, to get to know the armed forces and decide to become a soldier within a period of six months. Previously, female soldiers could only enter a cadre career as an officer or non-commissioned officer directly through their own aptitude test. They first had to complete an aptitude test and then the cadre candidate training. The “Voluntary Military Service for Women” project gives them the opportunity to decide over a period of six months whether they are mentally and physically willing to become soldiers.
The profession of soldier is becoming even more attractive for women through ongoing measures such as Girls' Day, female soldier mentoring and childcare options.
