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Swiss building codes require [[fallout shelter|radiation and blast shelters]] to protect against bombing. There is a bed for 114% of Swiss residents in one of the many shelters.<ref>{{cite web |title=Bunkers for all |url=http://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/swiss_news/Bunkers_for_all.html?siteSect=201&sid=10906783&rss=true&ty=st |date=2009-7-3 |work= |publisher=[[swissinfo]] |accessdate=13 July 2009}}</ref> There are also hospitals and command centres in such shelters, aimed at keeping the country running in case of emergencies. Every family or rental agency has to pay a small replacement tax to support these shelters, or alternatively own a personal shelter in their place of residence.<ref>Imogen Foulkes. [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/from_our_own_correspondent/6347519.stm Swiss still braced for nuclear war]. BBC News, 10 February 2007.</ref>
Swiss building codes require [[fallout shelter|radiation and blast shelters]] to protect against bombing. There is a bed for 114% of Swiss residents in one of the many shelters.<ref>{{cite web |title=Bunkers for all |url=http://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/swiss_news/Bunkers_for_all.html?siteSect=201&sid=10906783&rss=true&ty=st |date=2009-7-3 |work= |publisher=[[swissinfo]] |accessdate=13 July 2009}}</ref> There are also hospitals and command centres in such shelters, aimed at keeping the country running in case of emergencies. Every family or rental agency has to pay a small replacement tax to support these shelters, or alternatively own a personal shelter in their place of residence.<ref>Imogen Foulkes. [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/from_our_own_correspondent/6347519.stm Swiss still braced for nuclear war]. BBC News, 10 February 2007.</ref>


Moreover, tunnels and key bridges are built with [[tank trap]]s. Tunnels are also primed with [[demolition]] [[Explosive material|charges]] to be used against invading forces. Permanent fortifications are established in the [[Swiss Alps|Alps]], as bases from which to retake the fertile valleys after a potential invasion. They include underground air bases which are adjacent to normal runways; the aircraft, crew and supporting material are housed in the caverns. The concept of underground fortifications in the Alps stems from the so-called "[[Reduit]]" concept of the World War II. It was intended that if the [[Axis Powers]] were to invade Switzerland, they would have to do so at a huge price. Despite this, it is clear that Hitler considered invasion at various times and that the Allied landing at Normandy as well as the difficulties faced in invading Russia probably played significant roles in preventing a German invasion.<ref>{{cite book
Moreover, tunnels and key bridges are built with [[tank trap]]s. Tunnels are also primed with [[demolition]] [[Explosive material|charges]] to be used against invading forces. Permanent fortifications are established in the [[Swiss Alps|Alps]], as bases from which to retake the fertile valleys after a potential invasion. They include underground air bases which are adjacent to normal runways; the aircraft, crew and supporting material are housed in the caverns.

| last = Halbrook
⚫
However, a significant part of these fortifications have been dismantled between the 1980s and during the "Army 95" reformation. The most important fortifications are located at [[Saint-Maurice, Switzerland|Saint-Maurice]], [[St. Gotthard Pass|Gotthard Pass]] area and [[Sargans]]. The fortification on the left side of the [[Rhône River|Rhône]] at Saint-Maurice is no longer used by the army since the beginning of the 1990s. The right side (Savatan) is still in use.
| first = S.P.
| title = Target Switzerland: Swiss Armed Neutrality In World War II
| publisher = Da Capo Press
| date = 2008
| isbn = 0306813254}}</ref>
<ref>{{cite book
| last = Gautschi
| first = W.
| title = GENERAL HENRI GUISAN: Commander-in-Chief of the Swiss Army in World War II
| publisher = Front Street Press
| date = 2003
⚫
| isbn = 0972557202}}</ref> The army would barricade itself in the mountains within the fortresses, which would be very difficult to take. However, a significant part of these fortifications have been dismantled between the 1980s and during the "Army 95" reformation. The most important fortifications are located at [[Saint-Maurice, Switzerland|Saint-Maurice]], [[St. Gotthard Pass|Gotthard Pass]] area and [[Sargans]]. The fortification on the left side of the [[Rhône River|Rhône]] at Saint-Maurice is no longer used by the army since the beginning of the 1990s. The right side (Savatan) is still in use.


The Swiss government thought that the aim of an invasion of Switzerland would be to control the economically important transport routes through the Swiss Alps, namely the [[St. Gotthard Pass|Gotthard]], the [[Simplon Pass|Simplon]] and [[Great St. Bernard]] passes, because Switzerland does not possess any significant natural resources. Those who actually served in the Swiss Army during the war never criticised this concept - even if it openly meant that the enemy could take the civilian population in the plains hostage.
The Swiss government thought that the aim of an invasion of Switzerland would be to control the economically important transport routes through the Swiss Alps, namely the [[St. Gotthard Pass|Gotthard]], the [[Simplon Pass|Simplon]] and [[Great St. Bernard]] passes, because Switzerland does not possess any significant natural resources. Those who actually served in the Swiss Army during the war never criticised this concept - even if it openly meant that the enemy could take the civilian population in the plains hostage.

Revision as of 12:43, 19 July 2009

Military of Switzerland
File:Bundeslogo.svg
Service branchesLand Forces, Air Force
Leadership
Minister of DefenceSwiss Federal Councilor Ueli Maurer
Chief of DefenceLt Gen André Blattmann
Personnel
Military age17-34
Conscription19-34 years of age obligatorily
36 for subaltern officers, 52 for staff officers and higher
Available for
military service		1,707,694 males, age 19–49 (2005 est.),
1,662,099 females, age 19–49 (2005 est.)
Fit for
military service		1,375,889 males, age 19–49 (2005 est.),
1,342,945 females, age 19–49 (2005 est.)
Reaching military
age annually		46,319 males (2005 est.),
43,829 females (2005 est.)
Active personnel134,886[1]
Reserve personnel77,000[1]
Expenditure
BudgetCHF 3.9 billion (~US$3.6 billion FY08)[1]
Percent of GDP0.9% (2006)[2]

The Swiss Armed Forces perform the roles of Switzerland's militia and regular army: under the country's militia system professional soldiers constitute only about 5 percent of the military personnel; all the rest are conscript citizens aged from 20 to 34 (in some cases up to 50) years. Because of neutrality, the army can not take part in armed conflicts in other countries, but is part of some peacekeeping missions around the world.

The structure of the Swiss militia system stipulates that the soldiers keep their own personal equipment, including all personal weapons, at home. Compulsory military service concerns all male Swiss citizens; women can serve voluntarily. They usually receive the marching order at the age of 19 for military conscription. About two thirds of the young Swiss are found suited for service; for those found unsuited, an alternative service exists.[3] Annually, approximately 20,000 persons are trained in boot camp for a duration from 18 to 21 weeks.

Following the end of the Cold War there have been a number of attempts to curb military activity or even abolish the armed forces altogether (see Group for a Switzerland without an Army). A notable referendum on the subject was held on the 26 November 1989 and, although defeated, did see a high percentage of the people of favour of such an initiative.[4] A similar referendum, called for before, but held shortly after the 9/11 Attacks, was defeated by over 77% of voters.[5]

The reform "Army XXI" was adopted by popular vote in 2003, it replaced the previous model "Army 95", reducing the effectives from 400,000 to about 200,000. Of those 120,000 are active and 80,000 are reserve units.[6]

History

Main article: Military history of Switzerland
The Battle of Sempach, 1386
The last days of old Berne, painting by Friedrich Walthard

The Swiss army originated from the cantonal troops of the Old Swiss Confederacy, called upon in cases of external threats by the Tagsatzung or by the canton in distress. In the federal treaty of 1815, the Tagsatzung prescribed cantonal troops to put a contingent of 2% of the population of each canton at the federation's disposition, amounting to a force of some 33,000 men. The cantonal armies were converted into the federal army (Bundesheer) with the constitution of 1848. From this time, it was illegal for the individual cantons to declare war or to sign capitulations or peace agreements. Paragraph 13 explicitly prohibited the federation from sustaining a standing army, and the cantons were allowed a maximum standing force of 300 each (not including the Landjäger corps, a kind of police force). Paragraph 18 declared the obligation of every Swiss citizen to serve in the federal army if conscripted (Wehrpflicht), setting its size at 3% of the population plus a reserve of one and one half that number, amounting to a total force of some 80,000.

The first complete mobilization, under the command of Hans Herzog, was triggered by the Franco-Prussian War in 1871. In 1875, the army was called in to crush a strike of workers at the Gotthard tunnel. Four workers were killed and 13 were severely wounded.

Paragraph 19 of the revised constitution of 1874 extended the definition of the federal army to every able-bodied citizen, swelling the size of the army at least in theory from below 150,000 to more than 700,000, with population growth during the 20th century rising further to some 1.5 million, the second largest armed force per capita after the Israeli Defence Forces.

A major maneuver commanded in 1912 by Ulrich Wille, a reputed germanophile, convinced visiting European heads of state, in particular Kaiser Wilhelm II, of the efficacy and determination of the Swiss defense[7]. Wille subsequently was put in command of the second complete mobilization, and Switzerland escaped invasion in the course of World War I. Wille also ordered the suppression of the general strike (Landesstreik) of 1918 with military force. Three workers were killed, and a rather larger number of soldiers died of the Spanish flu during mobilization. In 1932, the army was called to suppress an anti-fascist demonstration in Geneva. The troops shot 13 unarmed demonstrators, wounding another 65. This incident permanently damaged the army's reputation, leading to persisting calls for its abolition among left wing politicians. In both the 1918 and the 1932 incidents, the troops deployed were consciously selected from rural regions such as the Berner Oberland, fanning the enmity between the traditionally conservative rural population and the urban working class. The third complete mobilization of the army took place during World War II under the command of Henri Guisan (see also Switzerland during the World Wars). The Patrouille des Glaciers race, created to test the abilities of soldiers, was created during the war.

In 1989, the status of the army as a national icon was shaken by a popular initiative aiming at its complete dissolution (see: Group for a Switzerland without an Army) receiving 35.6% support. This triggered a series of reforms, and in 1995, the number of troops was reduced to 400,000 ("Armee 95"). Article 58.1 of the 1999 constitution repeats that the army is "in principle" organized as a militia, implicitly allowing a small number of professional soldiers. A second initiative aimed at the army's dissolution in 2001 received a mere 21.9% support.[5] Nevertheless, the army was shrunk again in 2004, to 220,000 men ("Armee XXI"), including the reserves.

Structure

Structure of the Swiss Army XXI

The armed forces consist of 134,886 people on active duty, of which 4,230 are professionals, with the rest being conscripts or volunteers.[1] Women, for whom military service is voluntary, numbered 1,050: less than 1% of the total, but 25% of career soldiers.[1] Once decided to serve, they have the same rights and duties as their male colleagues, and they can join all services, including combat units. Recruits are generally instructed in their native language; however, the small number of Romansh-speaking recruits are instructed in German.

In contrast to most other comparable Armies, officer candidates are usually not career regulars: after seven weeks of basic training, selected recruits are offered the possibility of a cadre function. Officer candidate schools take place separately from NCOs training, but NCOs have the possibility of becoming officers later on.[8] There are currently 17,506 officers and 22,650 NCOs in the Swiss Armed Forces.[1]

High Command

André Blattmann, current (2009) chief of the Armed Forces

In peacetime, the armed forces are led by the Chief of the Armed Forces (Chef der Armee), who reports to the head of the Department of Defence and to the Federal Council as a whole. The current Chief of the Armed Forces is Lieutenant-General (Korpskommandant) André Blattmann. Lt-Gen Blattmann replaces Lieutenant-General (Korpskommandant) Roland Nef who resigned on July 25, 2008 following allegations of sexual harassment[9].

In times of crisis or war, the Federal Assembly elects a General (OF-9) as Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces (Oberbefehlshaber der Armee). There have been four Generals in Swiss history:

Officers which would have the title of general in other armies do not bear the title general (OF-8: Commandant de corps, OF-7 Divisionnaire and OF-6 Brigadier), as this title is strictly a wartime designation. The distinctive feature of their rank insignia are traditionally stylized edelweiss (image). However, when Swiss Officers are involved in peacekeeping missions abroad, they often receive temporary ranks that do not exist in the Swiss Army, to put them on an equal footing with foreign officers. For example, the head of the Swiss delegation at the NNSC in Korea (see below) had a rank of major general.

Land Forces

Since the Army XXI reform in 2004, the basic structure of the Land Forces has been reorganised in the following units: infantry brigades 2, 4, 5 and 7; mountain infantry brigades 9, 10 and 12; armoured brigades 1 and 11.[1] Four territorial regions link the Land Forces with the cantons by coordinating territorial tasks inside of their sector and are immediately responsible for the security of their regions, depending only on the decisions of the Federal Council.[10]

Air Force

Main articles: Swiss Air Force and History of the Swiss Air Force

The Swiss Air Force has been traditionally a militia-based service, including its pilots, with an inventory of approximately 456 aircraft whose lengthy service lives (many for more than 30 years) overlapped several eras. Beginning with its separation from the Army in 1996, however, the Air Force has been down-sizing, now approximating 270 fixed- and rotary-wing aircraft, and moving more towards a smaller, professionalized force.

Its primary front-line air-defence fleet consists of 33 F-18 Hornets (Squadrons: 11, 17, 18. 34 were originally bought, but one crashed) and 54 remaining F-5 Tiger IIs (110 were originally purchased). In October 2008 the Swiss Hornet fleet reached the 50,000 flight hour milestone.[11]

A report in the Swiss news magazine FACTS reveals that the Swiss Air Force only provides ready-to-take-off aircraft during office hours – on working days. The air force staff declared that, due to financial limits, they are not operational all the time.[12] The difficulty of defending Swiss airspace is illustrated by the mountainous character and the small size of the country; the maximum extension of Switzerland is 348 km, a distance that can be flown in little over 20 minutes by commercial aircraft. Furthermore, Switzerland's policy of neutrality means that they are unlikely to be deployed elsewhere.

Intelligence gathering

Main article: Swiss intelligence agencies
Onyx antennas in Leuk

The Swiss military department maintains the Onyx intelligence gathering system, similar in concept to the UKUSA's ECHELON system, but at a much smaller scale.

The Onyx system was launched in 2000 in order to monitor both civil and military communications, such as telephone, fax or Internet traffic, carried by satellite. It was completed in late 2005 and currently consists in three interception sites, all based in Switzerland. In a way similar to ECHELON, Onyx uses lists of keywords to filter the intercepted content for information of interest.

On 8 January 2006, the Swiss newspaper Sonntagsblick (Sunday edition of the Blick newspaper) published a secret report produced by the Swiss government using data intercepted by Onyx. The report described a fax sent by the Egyptian department of Foreign Affairs to the Egyptian Embassy in London, and described the existence of secret detention facilities (black sites) run by the CIA in Central and Eastern Europe. The Swiss government did not officially confirm the existence of the report, but started a judiciary procedure for leakage of secret documents against the newspaper on 9 January 2006.

"Swiss Navy" redirects here. For the Swiss Merchant Navy, see Merchant Marine of Switzerland.

Being landlocked, Switzerland does not have a navy, but it does maintain a fleet of military patrol boats.

The Aquarius-class PBRs, denominated "Patrouillenboot 80" in German, patrol the Swiss lakes: Lake Geneva, Lake Lucerne, Lake Lugano, Lake Maggiore and Lake Constance. These boats are operated by the Motorboat Company 10.[13]

Conscription

Main article: Conscription in Switzerland

Switzerland has mandatory military service (German: Militärdienst; French: service militaire; Italian: servizio militare) for all able-bodied male citizens, who are conscripted when they reach the age of majority,[14] though women may volunteer for any position.[15] People determined unfit for service, where fitness is defined as "satisfying physically, intellectually and psychically requirements for military service or civil protection service and being capable of accomplishing these services without harming oneself or others",[16] are exempted from service but pay a 3% additional annual income tax until the age of 30, unless they are affected by a disability.[17] Almost 20% of all conscripts were found unfit for military or civilian service in 2008; the rate is generally higher in urban cantons such as Zurich and Geneva than in the rural ones.[18] Swiss citizens living abroad are generally exempted from conscription in time of peace.[19] while dual citizenship by itself does not grant such exemption.[20]

Operations

Switzerland being a neutral country, its army does not take part in armed conflicts in other countries. However, over the years, the Swiss army has been part of several peacekeeping missions around the world.

From 1996 to 2001, The Swiss Army was present in Bosnia and Herzegovina with headquarters in Sarajevo. Its mission, part of the Swiss Peacekeeping Missions, was to provide logistic and medical support to the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, OSCE as well as protection duties and humanitarian demining. The mission was named SHQSU standing for Swiss Headquarters Support Unit to BiH. It was composed of 50 to 55 elite Swiss soldiers under contract for 6 to 12 months. None of the active soldiers were armed during the duration of the mission. The Swiss soldiers were recognized among the other armies present on the field by their distinctive yellow beret. The SHQSU is not the same as the more publicized SWISSCOY, which is the Swiss Army Mission to Kosovo.

Switzerland is part of the Neutral Nations Supervisory Commission (NNSC) which was created to monitor the armistice between North and South Korea. Since the responsibilities of the NNSC have been much reduced over the past few years, only 5 people are still part of the Swiss delegation, located near the Korean DMZ.[21][22][23]

Shelters and fortifications

Swiss fallout shelter used by Swiss army during a repetition course (shelter of Vernayaz)

Swiss building codes require radiation and blast shelters to protect against bombing. There is a bed for 114% of Swiss residents in one of the many shelters.[24] There are also hospitals and command centres in such shelters, aimed at keeping the country running in case of emergencies. Every family or rental agency has to pay a small replacement tax to support these shelters, or alternatively own a personal shelter in their place of residence.[25]

Moreover, tunnels and key bridges are built with tank traps. Tunnels are also primed with demolition charges to be used against invading forces. Permanent fortifications are established in the Alps, as bases from which to retake the fertile valleys after a potential invasion. They include underground air bases which are adjacent to normal runways; the aircraft, crew and supporting material are housed in the caverns.

However, a significant part of these fortifications have been dismantled between the 1980s and during the "Army 95" reformation. The most important fortifications are located at Saint-Maurice, Gotthard Pass area and Sargans. The fortification on the left side of the Rhône at Saint-Maurice is no longer used by the army since the beginning of the 1990s. The right side (Savatan) is still in use.

The Swiss government thought that the aim of an invasion of Switzerland would be to control the economically important transport routes through the Swiss Alps, namely the Gotthard, the Simplon and Great St. Bernard passes, because Switzerland does not possess any significant natural resources. Those who actually served in the Swiss Army during the war never criticised this concept - even if it openly meant that the enemy could take the civilian population in the plains hostage.

Equipment

File:Soldatenmesser 08.jpg
Victorinox Soldatenmesser 08 as issued by the Swiss military

Weapons marked in bold are considered personal equipment of the soldier, who is responsible for their well-functioning and must keep them at home until the end of the military service (unless living near an external border of Switzerland).[26] Between brackets is the number of such weapons in personal equipment as of 31 January 2009.[27] Swiss army knives are also issued, but are not considered weapons.

Small arms

See also: Service rifle § Switzerland
File:5130 026 40 mm Gewehraufsatz 97 zum Sturmgewehr 90.jpg
The Stgw 90 standard service rifle fitted with an underslung 40 mm GL 5040 grenade launcher.

Combat vehicles

Leopard 87 main battle tank

Source: Swiss Armed Forces - Land forces weapon systems (p.12)[1]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h "The basic organisation of the Swiss Armed Forces" (PDF). Federal Department of Defence, Civil Protection and Sports. Retrieved 12 July 2009.
  2. ^ "Ausgaben der Landesverteidigung". Statistik Schweiz (in German). 2006. Retrieved 2009-05-20.
  3. ^ "Zwei Drittel der Rekruten diensttauglich (Schweiz, NZZ Online)". Retrieved 23 February 2009.
  4. ^ "L'évolution de la politique de sécurité de la Suisse" (in French). NATO. Retrieved 12 July 2009.
  5. ^ a b "Volksabstimmung vom 2. Dezember 2001" (in German). Federal Chancellery. Retrieved 12 July 2009.
  6. ^ Armeezahlen www.vbs.admin.ch (German)
  7. ^ World War I-Preparation in German, French and Italian in the online Historical Dictionary of Switzerland.Error in template * invalid parameter (Template:HDS): "1"
  8. ^ "L'instruction des cadres" (in French). # Federal Department of Defence, Civil Protection and Sports. Retrieved 12 July 2009.
  9. ^ "Army chief falls but defence minister to stay". swissinfo. 2008-07-25. Retrieved 15 September 2008.
  10. ^ "Grandes unités" (in French). Federal Department of Defence, Civil Protection and Sports. Retrieved 12 July 2009.
  11. ^ "Swiss Hornets reach 50,000 flight hours milestone". Military Aviation Publications. 2008-10-24. Retrieved 14 July 2009.
  12. ^ FACTS No. 06/30 - Page 20
  13. ^ "Lehrverband Genie/Rettung - Truppen". Swiss Land Forces. Retrieved 19 July 2009.
  14. ^ "Conscrits et recrues" (in French). Federal Department of Defence, Civil Protection and Sports. Retrieved 10 July 2009.
  15. ^ "Femmes dans l'armée" (in French). Federal Department of Defence, Civil Protection and Sports. Retrieved 10 July 2009.
  16. ^ "Définition de l'aptitude au service" (in French). Federal Department of Defence, Civil Protection and Sports. Retrieved 10 July 2009.
  17. ^ "Ordonnance sur la taxe d'exemption de l'obligation de servir" (in French). Federal Authorities of the Swiss Confederation. Retrieved 10 July 2009.
  18. ^ "Les chiffres du recrutement en 2008" (in French). Federal Department of Defence, Civil Protection and Sports. Retrieved 10 July 2009.
  19. ^ "Les Suisses de l'étranger" (in French). Federal Department of Defence, Civil Protection and Sports. Retrieved 10 July 2009.
  20. ^ "Doubles-nationaux" (in French). Federal Department of Defence, Civil Protection and Sports. Retrieved 10 July 2009.
  21. ^ "Swiss participation to the mission NNSC in Korea". Federal Department of Defence, Civil Protection and Sport. Retrieved 12 July 2009.
  22. ^ "Swiss keep watch over fragile peace". swissinfo. 2003-5-19. Retrieved 12 July 2009. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  23. ^ "Photogallery: NNSC Korea". Photogallery Thomas Mäder. Retrieved 12 July 2009.
  24. ^ "Bunkers for all". swissinfo. 2009-7-3. Retrieved 13 July 2009. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  25. ^ Imogen Foulkes. Swiss still braced for nuclear war. BBC News, 10 February 2007.
  26. ^ "Ordonnance concernant l'équipement personnel des militaires" (in French). Federal Authorities of the Swiss Confederation. Retrieved 13 July 2009.
  27. ^ "Persönliche Ausrüstung - Waffen" (in German). Logistic Base of the Army. Retrieved 13 July 2009.
Wikisource has the text of the 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica article "Switzerland/Army".

Media related to Military of Switzerland at Wikimedia Commons

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