ZURICH (Reuters) – Switzerland’s government announced on Wednesday that it will be increasing its military spending in the coming years, becoming the latest European country to do so in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine two years ago.
President Viola Amherd stated that by 2035, an additional 20 billion Swiss francs ($22.58 billion) would be available for military funding, compared to previous plans before the Ukraine war.
In 2023, Switzerland had allocated 1.9 billion francs to equip its armed forces.
“The security policy situation is obviously difficult given the current instability, with a war on the European continent, armed conflicts in the Middle East and other flashpoints in the world,” Amherd said at a press conference.
Amherd, who is also the defence minister, emphasized the numerous crises currently happening and stated that the plan takes into account lessons learned from the Ukraine war.
She also noted that Switzerland’s army has been weakened by savings made following the “peace dividend” that was yielded by the end of the Cold War, which refers to economic benefits gained by cutting defense spending and reallocating resources to other sectors.
Amherd’s statement came after her government pointed out gaps in Switzerland’s command and control systems, as well as deficiencies in its ground and air forces and cyber defenses.
According to Thomas Suessli, head of the armed forces, some Swiss artillery, which entered service in the 1960s, needs to be replaced.
Switzerland had several government websites attacked in January, with a Russian-linked hacker group claiming responsibility due to the visit of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy to the World Economic Forum in Davos.
The government announced it would request credits for 4.9 billion francs ($5.53 billion) to purchase new military equipment, including guided missiles and mobile radars for ground troops, as well as improve communication systems.
Switzerland also plans to build a new data center dedicated to the military and upgrade some bases.
The government also submitted its payment framework for the army, which will allow it to seek up to 25.8 billion francs for the military from 2025 to 2028, up from 21.7 billion francs between 2021 to 2024.
The Swiss decision reflects concerns among European leaders over security, particularly after former U.S. President Donald Trump suggested that Washington might not protect fellow NATO members against a potential Russian attack if they do not spend enough on defense.
On Monday, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz stated that Germany and Europe’s defense industry must transition to mass production of arms following the war in Ukraine, which exposed how European manufacturers struggled to meet demand for ammunition.
($1 = 0.8859 Swiss francs)
(Reporting by John Revill; Editing by Dave Graham and Bernadette Baum)
