Swiss ambassador calls for more exercises with NATO

The Western defence alliance expects Switzerland to become more involved, says Jacques Pitteloud. Keystone-SDA

The Swiss ambassador to Belgium and NATO, Jacques Pitteloud, has called for Switzerland to participate in more NATO exercises.

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In NATO circles, people understand Swiss neutrality and the political realities of direct democracy, Pitteloud said in an interview with the Neue Zürcher Zeitung (NZZ) published on Friday.

NATO representatives would take Switzerland – as one of the most important economic powers in Europe – very seriously, he commented, adding that the Western defence alliance expects Switzerland to become more involved.

But they are critical of Switzerland’s Arms Export Act, said Pitteloud. “Or when it is wrongly claimed that we are allowing Russian spies to operate on our territory,” said the ambassador.

In his opinion, the Swiss militia army is in a good position to take part in NATO exercises. He cited the area of cyberactivity as an example: “The best IT specialists are not professional soldiers, but work in the private sector,” he noted. The army therefore benefits from the civilian activities of its soldiers.

‘A sensible middle way’

Switzerland must also be realistic, however: “Nothing is free in the world,” said Pitteloud. The country should do more in the areas of cyber-security, protection of critical infrastructure of continental importance and logistics, he said.

Autonomous defence was politically hopeless. The ambassador favours a “sensible middle way”: “We should optimise our army as quickly as possible and consider how we can gain access to key data without having to give up our neutrality.”

Pitteloud is critical of the federal government’s attitude over the last thirty years. It had given in to the illusion that power politics no longer existed, he said. Security policy reports were not visionary. “Paper is patient, but war is not,” he said.

Switzerland took part in a NATO exercise

Switzerland took part in a NATO exercise at the beginning of March. The Swiss defence and foreign ministries said they wanted to strengthen cooperation and practise crisis management on an international scale; no troops were involved.

+ Explainer: Russia pushes Europe’s neutral states closer to NATO

According to the Senate, the Swiss Armed Forces should still be able to take part in NATO alliance exercises. In September 2024, it rejected a proposal for a ban on such exercises that had been adopted by the House of Representatives. The rejection by the Senate meant that the matter was off the table.

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Translated from German by DeepL/sb

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