Harald Vodosek Takes Over as Austria’s Chief of General Staff
General Harald Vodosek has taken over as Austria’s Chief of General Staff, succeeding Rudolf Striedinger after leading the military’s procurement directorate.
General Harald Vodosek has taken over as Chief of General Staff of the Austrian Armed Forces, becoming the country’s highest-ranking military officer. He succeeds General Rudolf Striedinger, who retired at the end of September after serving in the position since October 2022.
The formal handover took place at the Maria Theresien Barracks in Vienna on September 29. Vodosek previously headed Directorate 5 Procurement within the Austrian Ministry of Defense and served as Austria’s National Armaments Director from 2025.
His military career began in 1982 and has included positions in logistics, defense planning and Austria’s military representation in Brussels. Vodosek also served as commander of Austria’s Jagdkommando special operations forces before moving into senior personnel and procurement roles.
His appointment comes as Austria continues the Aufbauplan 2032+ modernization program. Major projects under consideration include the future replacement of the Eurofighter fleet, ground-based air defense and counter-drone capabilities. Vodosek has indicated that work on the legal and government framework for the broader air defense program is progressing, with political decisions expected to follow.
