Military ranks of Austria

The Military ranks of Austria (or Ranks of the Bundesheer) are the military insignia used by the Austrian Armed Forces. Austria is a landlocked country and has no navy.

Commissioned officer ranks

The rank insignia of commissioned officers.

Rank group	General / flag officers										Senior officers						Junior officers
Cap [1]
Service uniform [1]
Field uniform [1]
			General		Generalleutnant		Generalmajor		Brigadier		Oberst		Oberstleutnant		Major		Hauptmann		Oberleutnant			Leutnant
Official translation [1]			General		Lieutenant general		Major general		Brigadier general		Colonel		Lieutenant colonel		Major		Captain		First lieutenant			Second lieutenant
Equivalent NATO code [a]	OF-9				OF-8		OF-7		OF-6		OF-5		OF-4		OF-3		OF-2		OF-1

Student officer ranks

Rank group	Student officer
Cap [1]
Service uniform [1]
Field uniform [1]
	Fähnrich
Official translation [1]	Officer cadet

Other ranks

The rank insignia of non-commissioned officers and enlisted personnel.

Rank group	Non-commissioned officer																						Enlisted
Cap [1]
Service uniform [1]
Field uniform [1]
	Vizeleutnant			Offiziersstellvertreter			Oberstabswachtmeister		Stabswachtmeister		Oberwachtmeister						Wachtmeister						Zugsführer				Korporal		Gefreiter						Rekrut
Official translation [1]	Warrant officer I			Warrant officer II			Warrant officer III		Staff sergeant		Master sergeant						Sergeant						Master corporal				Corporal		Lance corporal						Private
Equivalent NATO code [a]	OR-9						OR-8		OR-7		OR-6						OR-5						OR-4				OR-3		OR-2						OR-1

Special case military gymnasium

Pupils (German : Zöglinge) of the Military gymnasium wear black shoulder rank insignias on their dress uniform. On the duty suits black mounting loops have to be worn. However, the particular insignia has to be in line with actual school level. The appropriate school year is symbolised by a small golden strip.

Possible appointments in correlation to rank or grade

Rank group	Military rank	Possible appointments/ assignments
Military staff (without any rank or grade)	Rekrut ( Wehrmann until 1998) [2]	Generic infantryman
Charges	Gefreiter	Generic infantryman
	Korporal	Assistant squad leader
	Zugsführer
Unteroffiziere	Wachtmeister	Squad leader
	Oberwachtmeister
Stabsunteroffiziere	Stabswachtmeister	Squad leader (technical) Platoon leader
	Oberstabswachtmeister
	Offiziersstellvertreter	Platoon leader
	Vizeleutnant
Officers	Fähnrich	Military academy graduate and officer candidate (OA)
	Leutnant	Platoon leader
	Oberleutnant	Company executive officer
	Hauptmann	Company commander
	Major	Battalion commander (BN CDR) Headquarters company commander
	Oberstleutnant	Battalion commander
	Oberst	Regiment commander Brigade commander
General officers	Brigadier	Brigade commander
	Generalmajor (formerly Divisionär )	Chief of Staff in the Ministry of Defence Chief of Operational Staff in the Ministry of Defence Commanding general of the Air Force
	Generalleutnant (formerly Korpskommandant )	Commanding general of the Operational Forces
	General	Chief of the General Staff of the Austrian Bundesheer

Additions

To the rank or grade might be (among others) added addendums as follows.

Abbreviation	Long version
A	Arzt (en: physician)
aD	außer Dienst (off duty)
dG	des Generalstabsdienstes (of the general staff service)
dhmfD	des höheren militärfachlichen Dienstes (of the higher military specialised service)
dhmtD	des höheren militärtechnischen Dienstes (of the higher military technical service)
dIntD	des Intendanzdienstes (of the commissariat service)
dRes	der Reserve (of the reserve)
iR	in Ruhe (retired)

e.g.: MjrA (major physician), Lt aD (lieutenant off duty), ObstdG (colonel of the general staff service), HptmdhmtD (captain of the higher military technical service), ObstltdIntD (lieutenant colonel of the commissariat service), Olt dRes (first lieutenant of the reserve), Bgdr iR (general brigadier retired).

Historic ranks

Commissioned officer ranks

Rank group	General / flag officers										Senior officers						Junior officers
1918–1920 [3]
					General der Waffengattung		Feldmarschall-Leutnant		Generalmajor		Oberst		Oberstleutnant		Major		Hauptmann/ Rittmeister		Oberleutnant		Leutnant		Fähnrich
1920–1923 [4]
					General				Generalmajor [b]		Oberst		Oberstleutnant		Major		Hauptmann/ Rittmeister		Oberleutnant		Leutnant
1923–1933 [5]
					General der Waffengattung [c]				Generalmajor		Oberst		Oberstleutnant		Major		Stabshauptmann/ Stabsrittmeister	Hauptmann/ Rittmeister	Oberleutnant		Leutnant		Fähnrich/ Vizeleutnant
1923–1933 (Air force) [6]
					General der Waffengattung				Generalmajor		Oberst		Oberstleutnant		Major		Hauptmann/ Rittmeister		Oberleutnant		Leutnant		Fähnrich/ Vizeleutnant
1933–1938 [7] [8]
					General der Waffengattung		Feldmarschall-Leutnant		Generalmajor		Oberst		Oberstleutnant		Major		Hauptmann/ Rittmeister		Oberleutnant		Leutnant

See also

• Waffenfarbe (Austria)
• Rank insignia of the Austro-Hungarian armed forces

Notes

1. While Austria is not a member of NATO, it does have an official conversion. ^[1]
2. Oberstbrigadier until 1923.
3. General until 1929.

References

1. bundesheer.
2. "915 der Beilagen zu den Stenographischen Protokollen des Nationalrates XX. GP" (PDF). Österreichisches Parlament. 10 December 1997. p. 51. Retrieved 19 November 2010. Im Hinblick auf die geplante Öffnung des Bundesheeres für freiwillige militärische Dienstleistungen von Frauen soll der niederste militärische Dienstgrad statt derzeit "Wehrmann" künftig einheitlich für beide Geschlechter mit dem Begriff "Rekrut" bezeichnet werden.
3. Urrisk 1993, p. 18.
4. Urrisk 1993, p. 31.
5. Urrisk 1993, p. 46.
6. Urrisk 1993, p. 51.
7. Urrisk 1993, p. 110.
8. Handbook 1937, Table VI–VII.

• Handbuch der Österreichischen Uniformen (in German) (2nd ed.). Vienna: Patria Verlag. 1937. Retrieved 6 July 2023.
• Urrisk, Rolf M. (1993). Die Uniformen des österreichischen Bundesheeres 1918–1938 (in German). Graz: H. Weishaupt Verlag. ISBN   3-900310-93-9.

External links

• "Rank Insignias". bundesheer.at. Ministry of Defence. Retrieved 19 November 2021.
• "Dienstgrade des Österreichischen Bundesheeres" (PDF). bundesheer.at (in German). Ministry of Defence. Retrieved 19 November 2021.
• "Laufbahn und Ausbildung - Offizier" [Career and Training - Officer]. bundesheer.at (in German). Ministry of Defence. Retrieved 19 November 2021.
• "Laufbahn und Ausbildung - Unteroffizier" [Career and Training - NCOs]. bundesheer.at (in German). Ministry of Defence. Retrieved 19 November 2021.