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It is the first mobilization of the militia in the history of Austria. 2,300 militiamen were summoned, 1,400 moved on Monday. The Federal Armed Forces explain that almost 40 percent of the summoned soldiers were exempt from the mission due to the long duration of the mission. The average exemption rate for exercises is around 30 percent. Because it is a multi-month task, the slightly higher level of exemptions is “understandable and understandable,” the Defense Ministry said. Attempts have been made to strike a balance between military and economic requirements.
Militia officers are supposed to support the police in border security after the Corona crisis. They also monitor embassies and other “critical infrastructure,” whereby the Federal Army did not reveal exactly what items were included. The militia is replacing professional soldiers who had previously been involved in these tasks.
In Vienna, around two militia companies moved at different times to minimize the risk of Covid infections. The crown’s strong security measures are taken into account, a German army spokesman tells “Wiener Zeitung”. This also means that, when possible, only every second bed is occupied in the rooms. There are currently twelve Covid victims among the approximately 30,000 Bundeswehr soldiers; the previous maximum is 42.
The exact number, how many requests for exemption from the allowance were issued for professional or personal reasons, “will probably only be known towards the end of the week,” the army spokesman said. Because around 200 of the waiver requests only need to be processed in the course of the week.
The number of waiver requests varies greatly from region to region. In Upper Austria, there were a lot of things that could have to do with the fact that Upper Austria is a strong industrial region, the spokesperson guesses. The reasons for an exemption are regulated by law. For example, being the sole heir to a farm and no one else available to care for agriculture is an economic reason for the exemption. An important position in the republic can also lead to liberation, as can personal reasons.
Brigadier Michael Schaffer, president of the Federal Association of Militia Associations, views the militiamen’s deployment areas in conversation with the “Wiener Zeitung” as “on the border with the alibi.” The Federal Army was “in its constitution an army of militias”, but the real internal power was in the hands of the professional army. This is also due to the late mobilization of the militiamen, which according to the constitution should not be anything unusual, as emphasized by the brigadier general. The fact that the militia was first summoned is generally positive, says Schaffer.
