Austria’s Next Defense Chief to Address Dual-Use Technology
Harald Vodosek will address dual-use technology and energy resilience in Vienna days after being selected to lead the Austrian Armed Forces.
Austria’s designated Chief of Defence Staff, Lieutenant General Harald Vodosek, will address dual-use technologies and resilient infrastructure at Technology Talks Austria 2026 in Vienna on September 10 and 11, days after being selected to lead the Austrian Armed Forces. Vodosek, currently Austria’s National Armaments Director and head of Directorate 5 for procurement, will introduce a European dual-use technology panel before delivering a keynote the following morning at a Federal Ministry of Defence session on resilient energy supply.
His appearances connect Austria’s military modernization with technologies extending beyond conventional weapons and platforms. Artificial intelligence, quantum computing, semiconductors, cybersecurity, robotics, space and resilient energy infrastructure all feature in the defense-related Technology Talks Austria agenda.
Technology Talks Austria 2026 takes place on September 10 and 11 at MuseumsQuartier Vienna. The conference brings together government, industry, research and technology representatives around Europe’s technological leadership, competitiveness, resilience and strategic autonomy.
Vodosek to introduce European dual-use technology panel
At 17:50 on September 10, Vodosek is scheduled to introduce Panel 3, Dual-Use Technologies: Innovation, Security and Spillovers, at the Halle E Stage.
The session will examine how Europe can turn strategic technologies into both economic strength and security capability. The program identifies artificial intelligence, quantum computing, semiconductors, cybersecurity, robotics and space as technologies increasingly serving both civilian and defense purposes.
The panel will include Marco Protti, Vice President of Grants, Investments and Global Combat Air Programme Technology Projects at Leonardo; Andreas Knopp, Professor at the Institute of Information Technology at the University of the Bundeswehr Munich; Nathalie Guichard, Director for Research, Technology and Innovation at the European Defence Agency; and Polyvios Hadjiyangou, Head of Unit Operations at the European Cybersecurity Competence Centre.
The discussion is structured around the priorities and partnerships Europe needs to strengthen technological leadership, long-term security and strategic autonomy. Its composition connects defense institutions with industry, academia and European cybersecurity policy.
Austria selected its armaments director to lead the military
Vodosek’s participation comes one week after Austria selected him to become its next Chief of Defence Staff.
Defense Minister Klaudia Tanner announced the decision on September 3. Vodosek is set to succeed General Rudolf Striedinger, the current Chief of Defence Staff, who will retire at the end of September.
Vodosek joined the Austrian Armed Forces in 1982 and later completed the 14th General Staff Course. His career has included logistics and armaments planning, service in Austria’s military representation in Brussels, command of the Jagdkommando special operations unit and senior positions within the Federal Ministry of Defence.
He was tasked with leading Directorate 5 for procurement in 2021. In 2025, he formally became head of the directorate and Austria’s National Armaments Director, placing him at the center of procurement and modernization activity within the Austrian Armed Forces.
His transition from armaments and procurement leadership to the military’s top uniformed position comes as Austria continues the Aufbauplan 2032+ modernization program. The appointment puts an officer with direct procurement, armaments planning and international experience on course to oversee the next phase of Austrian military modernization.
Vodosek and Schlechter focus on energy resilience
Vodosek’s second Technology Talks appearance will shift from dual-use technologies to the resilience of critical infrastructure.
At 08:00 on September 11, the Austrian Federal Ministry of Defence will hold Breakfast Session 3, Resilient Energy Supply and Energy Autonomy for Austria’s Future, at the Ovalhalle.
Vodosek will deliver a keynote alongside Jürgen Schlechter, head of the Amt für Rüstung und Wehrtechnik (ARWT), the Federal Ministry of Defence office responsible for armaments and defense technology. Both officials are listed as keynote speakers in the event program.
The session will examine how Austria can make its energy supply more resilient and crisis-resistant while keeping critical systems operational during supply disruptions, including blackouts.
Energy storage technologies, intelligent energy and communications systems and autonomous supply solutions are among the areas identified for discussion. The program links these technologies with strengthening security of supply and technological sovereignty.
The wider participant list brings the defense officials together with energy, research and infrastructure specialists. Johannes Kathan, Senior Research Engineer for Power and Renewable Gas Systems at the AIT Austrian Institute of Technology, and Tara Esterl, Head of AIT’s Competence Unit Integrated Energy Systems, are scheduled to participate.
Gerhard Christiner, Spokesman of the Board and Chief Technical Officer at Austrian Power Grid AG, is also on the program. Gerhard Skoff of Technologieconsulting Skoff, Stephan Schwarzer of eFuel Alliance Österreich and Christian Türk complete the announced participant lineup, with Gabriele Schachinger moderating.
For the Austrian defense establishment, the subject extends beyond civilian energy policy. The ability to maintain energy and communications during major disruptions has direct relevance to military facilities, logistics and other critical infrastructure.
Austrian defense modernization extends beyond platforms
The two Technology Talks sessions provide a broader view of the technology issues surrounding Austria’s military modernization.
On September 10, Vodosek will enter a European discussion spanning AI, quantum computing, semiconductors, cyber, robotics and space. Less than 15 hours later, he and the head of Austria’s armaments and defense technology office will turn to resilient energy, communications and autonomous supply systems.
Neither session constitutes an announcement of new Austrian procurement programs. The published Technology Talks agenda does not identify specific acquisitions, contracts or new military requirements.
The significance instead lies in the combination of participants and subjects. Austria’s designated Chief of Defence Staff remains the country’s National Armaments Director during a period of military modernization, while Schlechter heads the office responsible for armaments and defense technology.
Vodosek has also been directly involved in Austria’s European defense cooperation. In June 2026, European Defence Agency Chief Executive André Denk met Vodosek and other senior Austrian defense officials in Vienna for discussions covering capability development, collaborative procurement and Austria’s cooperation with the agency.
Technology Talks Austria now places Vodosek alongside the European Defence Agency’s research and technology leadership in a public discussion about dual-use innovation. The following morning adds energy resilience and continuity of critical systems to that agenda.
As Vodosek prepares to succeed Striedinger, the two sessions offer an early indication of the technology issues surrounding Austria’s next military leadership without implying procurement decisions that have not been announced.
Austria defense technology: Key questions
What will Harald Vodosek discuss at Technology Talks Austria 2026?
Vodosek will introduce the Dual-Use Technologies: Innovation, Security and Spillovers panel at 17:50 on September 10at the Halle E Stage. The panel covers AI, quantum computing, semiconductors, cybersecurity, robotics and space. On September 11, he will deliver a keynote at a Federal Ministry of Defence session focused on resilient energy supply and energy autonomy.
Who is Jürgen Schlechter?
Jürgen Schlechter heads Austria’s Amt für Rüstung und Wehrtechnik. At Technology Talks Austria, he and Vodosek are the announced keynote speakers for the September 11 Federal Ministry of Defence session on resilient energy supply and energy autonomy.
Why does the Technology Talks agenda matter for Austrian defense?
The program brings Austria’s incoming military leadership into discussions spanning dual-use innovation, European strategic autonomy and infrastructure resilience. Vodosek’s procurement background makes the timing particularly relevant as Austria continues the modernization of its armed forces, although the conference agenda itself contains no new procurement announcements.
