Austrian Armed Forces

The Austrian Armed Forces, known in German as the Bundesheer or Federal Army, are the combined military forces of the Republic of Austria. The Bundesheer took its name in 1920, when the First Austrian Republic renamed the German-Austrian People s Militia, the Volkswehr, that had been formed in 1918 and had clashed with Royal Yugoslav Army troops over parts of Carinthia. After the Anschluss of 1938 it was disbanded, and many Austrians served in the Wehrmacht and Waffen-SS, with Austrian divisions becoming German ones. Austria declared permanent neutrality in 1955, and since then the force has mainly protected that neutrality; its relationship with NATO is limited to the Partnership for Peace programme. In the Cold War it planned the Raumverteidigung or area defence concept to delay and wear down a Warsaw Pact advance. The armed forces consist of the army, with the air force as a constituent part, plus special operations forces under the Jagdkommando, and keep about 125,600 reservists. Its modern tasks include protecting democratic institutions, keeping order inside the country, disaster relief and helping the border police.