This article addresses the contradiction between Austria’s membership in the European Union (EU) and its traditional policy of military neutrality. While maintaining its principle of neutrality since 1955, Austria joined the EU in 1995; this creates a security paradigm that conflicts with the EU's security and defense policies (specifically the Common Security and Defense Policy – CSDP). The article quantitatively and qualitatively examines Austria’s political discourse, public perception, defense spending, and its participation in intra-EU security cooperation.