This section does not cite any sources. (March 2022)
The minister is head of all the ministry's subordinate authorities and is the Supreme Military Commander of the Austrian Armed Forces. For certain acts, such as deployment of more than 5,000 men of the militia or reserve, the Minister for Defense's authorization is bound to the President of Austria, since in these cases the constitutional command of the army takes precedence.
Specifically, the Ministry[2] is responsible for matters regarding:
the armed forces' constitutionally-defined duties
the armed forces' operational and tactical leadership
military aviation
the provision of arms, equipment, materiel and personnel to the armed forces
weapons, ammunition and munitions
military technology, including weapons testing and military-technical research
military restricted areas
care of the armed forces' health, including military hospitals and supply of medicines
military attachés
the establishment, maintenance and management of all military buildings, facilities and properties owned by the state, the ministry building, the military administration or the army, including the Military History Museum, known as the Heeresgeschichtlichen Museum
shipping, road transport, telecommunications and mapping in the military field
the running of the Military History Museum, known as the Heeresgeschichtliches Museum (Militärhistorisches Institut).
the armed forces' finances
the army forest at Allentsteig
management of Austria's shares in the SIVBEG (Strategische Immobilien Verwertungs-, Beratungs- und Entwicklungsgesellschaft) as long as the federal government is a shareholder, and the regulation of that company.
Sport first became a government portfolio in Austria in 1966, as part of the remit of the Federal Ministry of Education, which in 1984 was renamed the Federal Ministry of Education, Arts and Sports. In 1991 sport was moved to the Federal Ministry of Health, Sport and Consumer Protection, then in 1995 to the Federal Chancellery, in 2000 to the Federal Ministry of the Civil Service and Sports, in 2003 back to the Federal Chancellery and in 2009 joined the Federal Ministry of Defense and Sports. In 2018, the sports agenda was moved to the Ministry of Civil Service and Sport.