Switzerland cannot defend itself against a full-scale military attack and must urgently strengthen its armed forces, the country's army chief has warned (via NZZ).
Lieutenant General Thomas Suessli says the military is equipped to handle cyberattacks and threats from non-state actors but lacks the capacity to respond to a major external assault.
Switzerland is raising defence spending, upgrading artillery and ground systems, and replacing older fighter jets with F-35s, but progress is slow and costs are rising. Defence spending is set to reach about 1% of GDP by 2032, up from 0.7% now.
Suessli says the war in Ukraine has not shifted Swiss attitudes enough and warns against relying on neutrality alone. "Neutrality only has value if it can be defended with weapons," he says, adding that full readiness by 2050 would be too late given current threats.
Lieutenant General Thomas Suessli:
"What we cannot do is defend against threats from a distance or even a full-scale attack on our country. It's burdensome to know that in a real emergency, only a third of all soldiers would be fully equipped. But that's historically inaccurate. There are several neutral countries that were unarmed and were drawn into war. Neutrality only has value if it can be defended with weapons. That is too long given the threat."