Warning of the head of the Swiss Armed Forces: We are not ready to deal with a full-scale attack

According to Isna, the head of the Swiss Armed Forces, “Thomas Sousli,” said that the country is not capable of dealing with a full-scale attack and should increase its military spending due to the increased dangers posed by Russia.

Neue Zorscher Zeitung quoted Susli as saying: “Despite being prepared for attacks by “non-state actors” on critical infrastructure and cyber attacks, the Swiss army is still facing major equipment shortages.”

“What we cannot do is deal with remote threats or even a full-scale attack on our country,” said Sousli, who will step down at the end of 2025.

“It’s a heavy burden to know that in a real emergency only one-third of the troops will be fully equipped,” he said in an interview published today.

Switzerland is ramping up defense spending, modernizing artillery and ground systems, and replacing aging fighters with Lockheed Martin F-35A fighters.

But the plan faces rising costs, with critics questioning the cost of artillery and munitions in a tight budget.

Despite the war in Ukraine and Russia’s efforts to destabilize Europe, attitudes toward the military have not changed, Sosli said.

He attributed this to Switzerland’s distance from the conflict, the country’s lack of recent combat experience and the false belief that “neutrality confers immunity.”

“But this is historically incorrect,” said the head of the Swiss armed forces. Several countries were neutral and unarmed and were drawn into the war. “Neutrality is only valuable if it can be defended with weapons.”

Switzerland has pledged to gradually increase its defense spending from around 0.7% to around 1% of GDP by 2032, which is much lower than the 5% level agreed by NATO countries.

At this rate, the Swiss military will be fully ready by 2050, which, according to Sousli, “is a very long time given the threat.”

end of message