Immediately exempt to the Holy See, it provides pastoral care to Catholics serving in the Austrian Armed Forces and their families.

The Theresian Military Academy had been founded at the castle of Wiener Neustadt in Austria by Empress Maria Theresa in 1751.

By the apostolic constitution decree "Spirituali militum curae", it was raised to a military ordinariate on 21 July 1986.

The current military ordinary is the Reverend Monsignor Werner Freistetter, appointed by Pope Francis on Thursday, 16 April 2015.

The military ordinary has the same status as a diocesan bishop and is a member of the Austrian Episcopal Conference.