Austria's Intelligence Services: How HNaA and DSN Protect the Republic
Austria's intelligence services — led by the Army Intelligence Service (HNaA), the Directorate for State Protection and Intelligence (DSN), and the Defense Office (AbwA) — go about their work. On behalf of the Republic, they act as part of the state's early warning system in a complex information market.
South view of the telecommunications surveillance facility on Königswarte in Lower Austria, built in 1958 and co-financed by the USA. This interception station is used by the NSA and Austrian Services, among others. / Picture: © Wikimedia Commons / C.Stadler/Bwag / CC BY-SA 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/deed.en)
The history of the Austrian intelligence services is characterized by pragmatism. After the Cold War, the new foreign intelligence department of the Austrian Armed Forces was given the unwieldy name “Army Intelligence Service” in 1972. Secret service expert Thomas Riegler confirmed to ORF that everyday life in espionage was often “very bureaucratic.” Among those who shaped the reconstruction after 1945 were Reinhard Gehlen, who later became president of the BND, and Maximilian Ronge, head of the Austro-Hungarian military secret service.
HNaA: Strategic foreign service with a hybrid role
The HNaA, which is organizationally subordinate to the Federal Ministry of Defense (BMLV), is today the strategic foreign intelligence service of the Republic of Austria. It procures, processes, and evaluates information about foreign countries and international organizations in order to regularly provide the highest political and military leadership, from the Federal President to the Federal Government, with “situation reports.”
The HNaA handles both military and related civilian secrets abroad, giving it a hybrid focus. Its historical strength lies in its detailed knowledge of the neighborhood: during the Yugoslav Wars in the 1990s, the HNaA gained great international trust through its well-researched information. The Austrian Armed Forces also carried out a security mission along the border with the former Yugoslavia from 1991 onwards.
The Defense Office: Military self-protection
The Defense Office (AbwA) was created in 1985 as part of the spin-off from the Army Intelligence Service to establish a clear separation between foreign intelligence and defense. The AbwA is the domestic service of the Austrian Armed Forces and also reports to the BMLV. Its primary task is to defend against threats to military security – known as military self-defense.
It gathers information on efforts and activities that could lead to deliberate attacks against military assets such as personnel, infrastructure, and classified military information. This includes classic intelligence defense tasks such as countering espionage, sabotage, subversion, and extremism in the military sector. In addition, the AbwA is responsible for IT security in the military sector as the national accreditation authority (Security Accreditation Authority – SAA).
From the BVT to the DSN: A new start in state security
The third “secret state agency” was long the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution and Counterterrorism (BVT), which succeeded the state police in 2002.
In 2018, the BVT became embroiled in a political scandal following an illegal raid on its headquarters, which led to a loss of trust among Western partner services. The HNaA stepped into the breach during this phase as an important international contact. As a result of the scandal, the BVT was replaced in December 2021 by the new civilian domestic intelligence service organization, the Directorate for State Security and Intelligence (DSN). The DSN, which reports to the Ministry of the Interior, has since been responsible for protecting the state and combating extremism, terrorism, and espionage within the country.
Cooperation and strict control
Today, the services work together in a closer structure. The three services – HNaA, AbwA, and DSN – have formed a joint cooperation unit, which came to prominence in 2024 after the foiled attack on the Taylor Swift concert.
According to German journalist and former BND employee Wilhelm Dietl, Austria does not really have a “real” secret service, as reported by ORF. The Austrian services primarily collect information and act with restraint – they have fewer powers than traditional foreign intelligence services such as the CIA. However, the HNaA is seeking to expand the Military Powers Act to allow it to infiltrate hostile foreign computer networks.
Despite its confidentiality, the work of the services is subject to strict democratic control. This includes the administrative and technical supervision of the BMLV and BMI, the permanent subcommittee of the National Defense Committee in the National Council, and the independent legal protection officer. The DSN is also subject to the Independent Commission for the Protection of the Constitution.