Organizers, speakers, and panelists of “Militia Meets Business” from left to right: Matthias Heigl (Managing Director Militär Aktuell), Norbert Frischauf (Austrian Armed Forces space expert), Nils Berger (CEO & Founder Viewpointsystem), Major General Harald Vodosek (Head of Armaments, Austrian Armed Forces), Reinhard Marak (Managing Director ARGE Security & Business), Armin Richtiger (President Austrian Militia Association), Christian Bayer (Secretary General Austrian Militia Association), and Jürgen Zacharias (Editor-in-Chief Militär Aktuell).
By Cezara Maria Muresan
What if the next big tech breakthrough in the defense sector doesn’t come from a contractor, but from a startup in a co-working space? Or from a tech company that’s never set foot in the defense sector?
This idea was one of the scenarios discussed at “Militia meets Business”, which took place at our production site in Seestadt Vienna. Held under the banner of ‘Security and Innovation’, the event focused on how to stimulate more innovation in the defense sector. This includes breaking down barriers between industries and exploring how start-ups, scale-ups, and established companies can play a role in shaping the future of defense.
At the third edition of ‘Militia meets Business’, hosted by defense magazine ‘Militär Aktuell’ and ‘Milizverband Österreich’, the Austrian Militia Association, the pressing question of how we stay secure in a changing world was discussed. And what role do technological innovations play in this context?
Hands-on technology meets strategic dialogue
Before the official program began, the guests had the chance to take a behind-the-scenes tour of our production site and to test our VPS Smart Glasses with integrated eye tracking. The hands-on sessions showed how wearable tech can improve our gaze strategies and thus our decision-making, situational awareness, and cognitive performance in environments where every second counts.
The guests also had the opportunity to test a range of Virtual and Mixed Reality glasses, from the Apple Vision Pro to the Meta Quest, and to dive into immersive experiences.
After this interactive technology session, the focus shifted to the bigger picture. Experts and decision makers from defense, industry, and research took the stage to discuss how the “Development Plan 2032+” of the Austrian Armed Forces is setting the course for the future. The conversation touched on global trends, geopolitical shifts, and the critical role of innovative technology in maintaining resilience.
Security isn’t just nice to have, it’s an absolute necessity
Opening the keynotes, the Director of Armaments of the Austrian Armed Forces, Major General (Generalmajor) Harald Vodosek, outlined Austria’s strategic pivot towards multi-domain operations, emphasizing the integration of cyber, information, air, and space domains.
“The decisive factor is not that we are now receiving more money, but that we’ve undergone a paradigm shift,” Vodosek said. That shift? Moving from isolated solutions to strategic ecosystems. From fragmented tech to integrated networks.
Vodosek also highlighted the growing role of autonomous technologies. He mentioned that in the future, we will be dealing with drone swarms, including “‘lead drones” guiding the swarm. Additionally, he noted that even the new 5th and 6th generation fighter jets will likely lead drones. He highlighted this as an “opportunity for the Austrian industry to get involved”.
Satellites: quietly powering global security
For many of us, satellites used to be something we only thought about when watching space documentaries. But here’s a reality check: without them, modern life would pretty much crash.
Bank transactions? GPS navigation? Global communications? All riding on satellites orbiting way above us. Dr. Norbert Frischauf, high-energy physicist and space expert of the Austrian Armed Forces, made it clear that satellites are more than just orbiting metal, they’re the invisible infrastructure that keeps our world running:
Recognizing this reality, the Austrian Armed Forces (ÖBH) are actively planning to develop their own satellite capabilities to support Multi-Domain Operations, integrating cyber, air, space, and information-based defense strategies.
Particularly interesting: Whereas satellites once had to last for 15 years, today it is sufficient for them to remain operational for just three to four months. This shift reflects the need for rapid technological advancement, ensuring that Austria’s defense infrastructure keeps pace with global developments.
“You see, but you do not perceive”
Nils Berger, CEO of Viewpointsystem, brought the conversation back to something deeply human: perception.
In challenging situations where decisions must happen in fractions of a second, the way we process information can mean the difference between success and failure. Vision plays a crucial role in this: “80% of the information we process comes from our eyes – we are visual beings,” says Nils Berger
Berger explained how eye tracking technology helps defense forces understand how they focus, how they react under pressure, and how they can optimize their decision-making processes. “Gaze behavior can be trained,” Berger says.” The aim is to change gaze strategies and develop new ones.”
And this isn’t just for military applications. The same principles apply to emergency response teams, surgeons, pilots, and even in fields like sports performance or complex industrial operations.
Key takeaways: The role of innovation in modern defense
While the event covered a wide range of topics, several key insights stood out regarding the question of how to stimulate more innovation in the defense sector:
- Collaborative efforts across military, political, and industrial sectors are necessary to address challenges and stimulate technology
- There’s a need to integrate more innovative companies, including startups and scaleups, into the defense sector by creating accessible contact points
- Investment in anticipatory research is crucial to enable the development of technologies that may not currently impact the defense sector but hold promising potential.
- Transparency regarding specific technological needs in the defense sector should be improved to better direct innovative efforts.
- Opening and simplifying the process for defense contracts can allow a wider range of participants, encouraging innovation from smaller companies and startups.
At its core, ‘Militia meets Business’ demonstrated that – whether through advancements in satellite technology, eye tracking systems, or defense strategies – the future of security depends on our ability to innovate, adapt, and collaborate. As Generalmajor Vodosek put it best: “What drives a society forward? Innovation and technology.”
