Editing Austrian Armed Forces (section)

=== Interwar ===
{{See also|Imperial and Royal Army during the Napoleonic Wars}}

In 1918, the [[Republic of German-Austria]] established a [[military]] known as the {{lang|de|Volkswehr}} ("People's Defence"). ''Volkswehr'' forces took part in military confrontations with [[Royal Yugoslav Army]] troops which occupied parts of [[Carinthia (state)|Carinthia]] that Austria claimed as its own. In 1920, after the Republic of German-Austria transitioned into the [[First Austrian Republic]], the new regime changed the military's name to the {{lang|de|Bundesheer}} ("Federal Army"), which it has been known by ever since. In 1938, {{lang|de|Bundesheer}} officers led by [[Alfred Jansa]] developed a [[military operation plan]] to defend against a potential invasion by [[Nazi Germany]], which ultimately went unused due to a lack of political willpower when Austria was annexed by the Germans in the same year during the ''[[Anschluss]]''. Under [[Austria within Nazi Germany|German rule]], the {{lang|de|Bundesheer}} was disbanded, and many Austrians served during [[World War II]] in the ''[[Wehrmacht]]'' and ''[[Waffen-SS]]'' ([[Austrian SS]]).<ref>{{cite book |last1=Bischof |first1=Gunter |last2=Pelinka |first2=Anton |last3=Stiefel |first3=Dieter |title=The Marshall Plan in Austria: Vol 8 |date=20 December 2018 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=978-1-351-30350-7 |page=323 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Uf-GDwAAQBAJ&pg=PT323 |language=en}}</ref>

World War II role of the "Bundesheer":
*Elements of Austrian Army became [[9th Panzer Division (Wehrmacht)]] 
*Elements of Austrian Army became [[44th Infantry Division (Wehrmacht)]]
*4th Austrian Division became the [[45th Infantry Division (Wehrmacht)]]
*5th and 7th Austrian Divisions became the [[3rd Mountain Division (Wehrmacht)]]
*6th Austrian Division became the [[2nd Mountain Division (Wehrmacht)]]

In 1955, Austria issued its [[Declaration of Neutrality]], meaning that it would never join a military alliance. The Austrian Armed Forces' main purpose since then has been the protection of Austria's neutrality. Its relationship with NATO is limited to the [[Partnership for Peace]] programme.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.bmeia.gv.at/en/austrian-mission-to-nato/|title=Austrian Mission to NATO|work=[[Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Austria)|Bundesministerium für europäische und internationale Angelegenheiten]]|accessdate=Jan 24, 2023}}</ref>

With the end of the [[Cold War]], the Austrian military have increasingly assisted the border police in controlling the influx of undocumented migrants through Austrian borders. The [[Yugoslav Wars|war]] in the neighbouring Balkans resulted in the lifting of the restrictions on the range of weaponry of the Austrian military that had been imposed by the [[Austrian State Treaty]].<gallery>
Bundesarchiv Bild 102-08388, Klagenfurth, Einzug des Bundesheeres.jpg|Troops entering [[Klagenfurt]] after a manoeuvre in [[Carinthia (state)|Carinthia]] (September, 1929)
Bundesarchiv Bild 102-09245, Österreich, Skitruppen beim Manöver.jpg|Austrian [[Gebirgsjäger]] in 1930
Bundesarchiv Bild 102-09448, Wien, Parade des Bundesheeres.jpg|Austrian Armed Forces celebrating their 10th anniversary in March 1930 at the [[Vienna|Viennese]] [[Heldenplatz]]
Bundesarchiv Bild 102-12705, Österreich, Manöver der Gebirgsartillerie.jpg|Austrian mountain artillerymen during a manoeuvre in [[Tyrol (federal state)|Tyrol]]
Bundesarchiv Bild 102-12135, Österreich, Fahnenweihe bei der Armee.jpg|New "Standarten" (flags) of Austrian Army units being consecrated by a Catholic priest in [[Mattersburg]], [[Burgenland]]
Bundesarchiv Bild 102-12181, Österreich, Pioniere beim Brückenbau.jpg|Engineers building a bridge across the [[Danube]] during a manoeuvre in 1931
Bundesarchiv Bild 102-00805, Wien, Februarkämpfe, Bundesheer 2.jpg|Soldiers of the Austrian Army in Vienna, during the [[Austrian Civil War]] in 1934
File:Ausbildung in der Gruppe (18480913048).jpg|Troops training with M1 Garands during the 1950s
</gallery>