The army may have to reduce the duration of military service or close some military training grounds to save money.
This content was published on
1 minute
swissinfo.ch and agencies
Defence minister Ueli Maurer has asked army chief André Blattmann to study various cost-cutting strategies to comply with government’s recommendations on saving.
The defence ministry, which also covers sports and civil protection, could also cut up to 2,500 jobs.
Blattmann said the army was obliged to “reconsider everything”, even what has not been disputed until now. However, neutrality and obligatory military service are not on the line.
Maurer has also considered putting some, or even all, of the Tiger fighter jets out of service.
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here. Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.
Read more
More
Military bunkers face their Waterloo
This content was published on
But not everyone thinks spending a billion francs on shutting down a modern defence system makes sense. “The nature of the military threat has changed,” Maurer told the 10vor10 television news programme on Thursday. “The bunkers are in the wrong place and the weapons will only last for another ten to 20 years. It’s not…
This content was published on
During his three-day trip Maurer met Israeli President Shimon Peres and Defence Minister Ehud Barak, who invited him. He also visited the Yad Vashem Holocaust memorial in Jerusalem, and military bases on the Israel-Lebanon border and in Tel Aviv. Following his meeting on Monday with Barak and other top officials, Maurer told reporters in Tel…
This content was published on
Exports were down in the first half of this year, which some parliamentarians say is the result of banning sales to countries involved in armed conflict or which “systematically and severely violate human rights”. Centre-right parliamentarians Bruno Frick (Christian Democrat) and Sylvie Perrinjaquet (Radical Party) have both submitted motions to cabinet asking it to compare…
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here. Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.