Minister of Defense (Austria)

The minister of defense of Austria heads the Ministry of Defense.

Minister of Defense
Bundesminister für Landesverteidigung
Coat of arms
Incumbent Klaudia Tanner since 7 January 2020
Ministry of Defense
Style	Mrs. Federal minister (formal)
Member of	Federal Government Council of Ministers National Security Council
Seat	Rossauer Barracks, Innere Stadt, Vienna
Nominator	Political parties
Appointer	The president on advice of the chancellor
Constituting instrument	Constitution of Austria Defense law
Precursor	Imperial and Royal Minister of War
First holder	Josef Mayer in the first Republic (10 November 1920) Ferdinand Graf in the second Republic
Website	bundesheer.at (in English) bundesheer.at (in German)

First Austrian Republic

No.	Portrait	Name (Birth–Death)	Term			Political Party	Government
			Took office	Left office[a]	Duration
State Ministry for the Army (Staatsamt für Heereswesen)
1		Mayer, JosefJosef Mayer [de] (1877–1938)	30 October 1918	15 March 1919	136 days	DNP	Renner I Cabinet
2		Deutsch, JuliusJulius Deutsch (1884–1968)	15 March 1919	22 October 1920	1 year, 221 days	SDAPÖ	Renner II–III Mayr I Cabinet
3		Breisky, WalterWalter Breisky (1871–1944)	22 October 1920	22 November 1920	29 days	CS	Mayr I Cabinet
Federal Ministry for the Army (Bundesministerium für Heereswesen)
4		Glanz, EgonEgon Glanz [de] (1880–1945) Beamter	22 November 1920	7 April 1921	29 days	Nonpartisan	Mayr II Cabinet
(3)		Breisky, WalterWalter Breisky (1871–1944)	7 April 1921	28 April 1921	21 days	CS	Mayr II Cabinet
5		Vaugoin, CarlCarl Vaugoin (1873–1949)	28 April 1921	7 October 1921	162 days	CS	Mayr II Cabinet Schober I Cabinet
6		Wächter, JosefJosef Wächter [de] (1866–1949) Army officer	7 October 1921	31 May 1922	236 days	Nonpartisan	Schober I Cabinet–II
(5)		Vaugoin, CarlCarl Vaugoin* (1873–1949)	31 May 1922	21 September 1933	11 years, 113 days	CS	Seipel I Cabinet–II–III Ramek I Cabinet–II Seipel IV–V Streeruwitz Schober III Vaugoin Ender Buresch I–II Dollfuss I
7		Dollfuss, EngelbertEngelbert Dollfuss* (1892–1934)	21 September 1933	12 March 1934	172 days	CS	Dollfuss II Cabinet
8		Schönburg, AloisAlois Schönburg-Hartenstein (1858–1944) Army officer	12 March 1934	10 July 1934	120 days	Nonpartisan	Dollfuss II Cabinet
(7)		Dollfuss, EngelbertEngelbert Dollfuss* (1892–1934)	10 July 1934	25 July 1934 †	15 days	VF	Dollfuss II Cabinet
9		Starhemberg, ErnstErnst Rüdiger Starhemberg (1899–1956) Acting	26 July 1934	29 July 1934	3 days	VF	Dollfuss II Cabinet
Federal Ministry for National Defence (Bundesministerium für Landesverteidigung)
10		Schuschnigg, KurtKurt Schuschnigg* (1897–1977)	29 July 1934	11 March 1938	3 years, 225 days	VF	Schuschnigg I Cabinet–II–III–IV
11		Seyss, ArthurArthur Seyss-Inquart* (1892–1946)	11 March 1938	13 March 1938	2 days	NSDAP	Seyss-Inquart Cabinet

* Partly as Chancellor or Vice-Chancellor.

Second Austrian Republic

No.	Portrait	Name (Birth–Death)	Term			Political Party	Government
			Took office	Left office[a]	Duration
Ministry for National Defence
No minister, section of the Federal Chancellory Ministry (Bundeskanzleramt)
Federal Ministry for National Defence (Bundesministerium für Landesverteidigung)
1		Graf, FerdinandFerdinand Graf [de] (1907–1969)	15 July 1956	11 April 1961	4 years, 270 days	ÖVP	Raab II Cabinet–II–III
2		Schleinzer, KarlKarl Schleinzer [de] (1924–1975)	11 April 1961	2 April 1964	2 years, 357 days	ÖVP	Gorbach I Cabinet–II
3		Prader, GeorgGeorg Prader [de] (1917–1985)	2 April 1964	21 April 1970	6 years, 19 days	ÖVP	Klaus I Cabinet–II
4		Freihsler, JohannBrigadier Johann Freihsler [de] (1917–1981)	21 April 1970	4 February 1971	289 days	Independent	Kreisky I Cabinet
–		Kreisky, BrunoBruno Kreisky (1911–1990) Acting	4 February 1971	8 February 1971	4 days	SPÖ	Kreisky I Cabinet
5		Lütgendorf, KarlBrigadier Karl Lütgendorf (1914–1981)	8 February 1971	31 May 1977	6 years, 112 days	Independent	Kreisky I Cabinet–II–III
–		Kreisky, BrunoBruno Kreisky (1911–1990) Acting	31 May 1977	8 June 1977	8 days	SPÖ	Kreisky III Cabinet
6		Rösch, OttoOtto Rösch (1917–1995)	8 June 1977	21 May 1983	5 years, 347 days	SPÖ	Kreisky III Cabinet–II
7		Frischenschlager, FriedhelmFriedhelm Frischenschlager (born 1943)	21 May 1983	12 May 1986	2 years, 356 days	FPÖ	Sinowatz Cabinet
8		Krünes, HelmutHelmut Krünes [de] (born 1941)	12 May 1986	21 January 1987	254 days	FPÖ	Sinowatz Cabinet Vranitzky I Cabinet
9		Lichal, RobertRobert Lichal (1932–2024)	21 January 1987	6 November 1990	3 years, 289 days	ÖVP	Vranitzky II Cabinet
–		Mock, AloisAlois Mock* (1934–2017) Acting	6 November 1990	17 December 1990	41 days	ÖVP	Vranitzky II Cabinet
10		Fasslabend, WernerWerner Fasslabend (born 1944)	17 December 1990	4 February 2000	9 years, 49 days	ÖVP	Vranitzky III Cabinet–II–III Klima Cabinet
11		Scheibner, HerbertHerbert Scheibner [de] (born 1963)	4 February 2000	28 February 2003	3 years, 24 days	FPÖ	Schüssel I Cabinet
12		Platter, GüntherGünther Platter (born 1954)	28 February 2003	11 January 2007	3 years, 317 days	ÖVP	Schüssel II Cabinet
13		Darabos, NorbertNorbert Darabos (born 1964)	11 January 2007	11 March 2013	6 years, 59 days	SPÖ	Gusenbauer Cabinet Faymann I Cabinet
Federal Ministry for National Defence and Sport (Bundesministerium für Landesverteidigung und Sport)
14		Klug, GeraldGerald Klug (born 1968)	11 March 2013	26 January 2016	2 years, 321 days	SPÖ	Faymann I Cabinet–II
15		Doskozil, HansHans Peter Doskozil (born 1970)	26 January 2016	18 December 2017	1 year, 326 days	SPÖ	Faymann II Cabinet Kern Cabinet
16		Kunasek, MarioMario Kunasek (born 1976)	18 December 2017	8 January 2018	21 days	FPÖ	Kurz I Cabinet
Federal Ministry for National Defence (Bundesministerium für Landesverteidigung)
16		Kunasek, MarioMario Kunasek (born 1976)	8 January 2018	20 May 2019	1 year, 132 days	FPÖ	Kurz I Cabinet
17		Luif, JohannLieutenant General Johann Luif (born 1959)	22 May 2019	3 June 2019	12 days	Independent	Kurz I Cabinet
18		Starlinger, ThomasMajor General Thomas Starlinger [de] (born 1963)	3 June 2019	7 January 2020	218 days	Independent	Bierlein Cabinet
19		Tanner, KlaudiaKlaudia Tanner (born 1970)	7 January 2020	Incumbent	5 years, 226 days	ÖVP	Kurz II Cabinet Schallenberg Cabinet Nehammer Cabinet Stocker Cabinet

*Entrusted with continuation of the ministry

See also

• Supreme Commander of the Imperial and Royal Armed Forces
• Minister of War (Austria-Hungary)
• Austrian Minister of Defence (Austria-Hungary)
• Ministry of Defense (Austria)
• Chief of the General Staff (Austria)

Notes

1. Based on when the successor took office