Switzerland overhauls armed forces to strengthen defense capabilities
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Switzerland is restructuring its military, decentralizing the air force and boosting defense spending in response to rising security threats across Europe.
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The Swiss Air Force acrobatic squad performs prior to an alpine ski, World Cup men's downhill in Wengen, Switzerland, Saturday, Jan. 18, 2020. (AP)
Switzerland is overhauling its military structure as the traditionally neutral country works to strengthen its defense capabilities in light of an increasingly fragile security landscape across Europe.
A central element of the restructuring involves decentralizing the air force, allowing fighter jet deployments and reconnaissance operations to be conducted from several locations rather than a single base.
The distribution of aircraft, troops, and other military assets is aimed at reducing their vulnerability to enemy long-range strikes, while last year, the air force carried out training exercises to operate from temporary bases set up along interstate highways.
The government announced in a statement on Wednesday that the changes, set to take effect on January 1, will extend beyond the air force to include the army and military police, with plans also underway to establish a center dedicated to military support from space and a new branch focused on counter-intelligence and counter-sabotage.
Swiss defense shake-up
Switzerland, which remains outside NATO, currently allocates only about 0.7% of its gross domestic product to defense spending, though plans are in place to gradually increase that share to 1% by 2030.
The military’s restructuring stems from a years-long process that followed the Swiss government’s adoption of a new security policy report in 2021, which found that “international security policy has become more abrasive,” and that “the erosion of multilateral cooperation and international security structures has intensified.”
Switzerland is currently engaged in a dispute with the United States over the cost of three dozen F-35 fighter jets purchased from Lockheed Martin Corp., as the government reviews its options amid ongoing domestic controversy and growing public support for abandoning the deal altogether.
