The armed forces of Austria are
titled the Bundesheer (Federal Army), which embodies ground
and air forces. (As Austria is a landlocked country, there is no
navy.) The standing army, consisting of full-time volunteers and
conscripts under training, is backed up by the Landwehr
(militia), which is somewhat analogous to the US Army National
Guard. Counting greater Vienna, there are nine federal states
(Länder), and each one has a military command. The Vienna
Military Command controls the Gardebataillon (Guard
Battalion; the Bundesheer's ceremonial unit) two
Landwehr infantry battalions and an engineer company. The
military commands of the other eight states each control a
Landwehr infantry battalion and an engineer company. Fully
mobilized, the Bundesheer can field around 125,000 troops.
Combat battalions of the
Bundesheer are titled Jäger (infantry,)
Gebirgsjäger (mountain infantry), Panzergrenadier
(mechanized infantry), Panzer (armor), Aufklärungs-und
Artillerie (Reconnaissance and Artillery). or Pionier
(Engineer). Active units are numbered, but Landwehr units
are not except in the Vienna Military Command, which controls two
Landwehr infantry battalions. Other Landwehr units
are identified by the name of the state in which they are stationed,
e.g. Jägerbataillon Oberösterreich. Some battalions also
bear honorific titles, e.g. Jägerbataillon Wien 1
"Hoch-und-Deutschmeister."
The
Austrian state flag is also the military service flag. All general
officers of the Bundesheer use the same flag of rank and
this is supplemented by pennants for commanding officers and other
officers. Colors for battalions and similar units are white with a
border of the traditional Austrian colors: red/white and
black/yellow triangles. On the obverse of the color appears the
Austrian coat of arms; on the reverse appears the coat of arms of
the Land in which the unit is stationed. The
Gardebataillon bears a "tradition" color of the pattern used by
the old Austro-Hungarian Army.