The Swiss Army is no longer selling its old bunkers. In response to the war in Ukraine, the army is increasingly decentralising, says army chief Thomas Süssli.
The air force, for example, will train to operate improvised sites, Süssli said in an interview with Tamedia newspapers published on Monday.
Currently, the army is also going through the catalogue of command and combat facilities. This includes bunkers whose locations are already known, he said. “We have to take what we have,” Süssli said. Even already known installations would have a military use if there were many in a certain region. The army should not be put out of action with just a few bombing raids, he said.
The army already communicated in August that it is increasingly focusing on defence. In the wake of the war in Ukraine, it increased self-protection. “We always have to protect our shelters and camps first before we can protect others,” Süssli said. It also strengthened counterintelligence. Further measures would concern supplies and infrastructure. He did not want to give details. Asked in particular about ammunition stocks, Süssli remained coy.
For about a year now, the ammunition division of the Ruag defence company has belonged to the Italian weapons and binoculars manufacturer Beretta. “It would be good if Switzerland had a certain autonomy in ammunition,” said Süssli.
The sale of the ammunition division was a political decision. In the event of a crisis, even a Swiss company would have problems producing ammunition, according to the army chief. “That is why we are stockpiling more,” he said. As an example, Süssli mentioned spare parts for the F-35 fighter jet.
According to Süssli, the Armed Forces also ensure cooperation with other armed forces. In an emergency, this would not work immediately. The Swiss contribution in Kosovo should not be underestimated for NATO members, he said.
No concrete decisions have been made yet on the extent to which Switzerland will take on additional tasks there, he added. “Switzerland could contribute in the areas of cyber or NBC, nuclear-biological-chemical defence,” Süssli said.
In the summer session, parliament extended Switzerland’s mission in Kosovo until 2026.
This news story has been written and carefully fact-checked by an external editorial team. At SWI swissinfo.ch we select the most relevant news for an international audience and use automatic translation tools such as DeepL to translate it into English. Providing you with automatically translated news gives us the time to write more in-depth articles. You can find them here.
If you want to know more about how we work, have a look here, and if you have feedback on this news story please write to english@swissinfo.ch.
External Content
Your subscription could not be saved. Please try again.
Almost finished… We need to confirm your email address. To complete the subscription process, please click the link in the email we just sent you.
Most Read Swiss Abroad
More
Switzerland’s priciest street makes room for a bakery shop
Should raw milk sales be banned or should consumers decide?
Swiss food regulations do not allow raw milk to be sold for direct consumption. However, a loophole allows 400 raw milk vending machines to do just that.
Switzerland to close nine asylum centres as fewer people arrive than expected
This content was published on
The State Secretariat for Migration (SEM) is closing nine temporary federal asylum centres across Switzerland with a total of 1,735 accommodation places by the beginning of March.
Light pollution and industrial activity increase in the Arctic
This content was published on
More than 800,000 square kilometres of the Arctic were affected by human activity in 2013. Some 85% of the areas polluted by light was due to industrial activities and not settlement areas.
Eurovision Song Contest organisers call for ‘city party’ in Basel
This content was published on
The Eurovision Song Contest 2025 in Basel should not just be a television show. Those responsible have called on artists to contribute something to a “big city party”.
Switzerland and Austria exchange soldier performance data
This content was published on
An initial technical agreement on the topic of "Human Performance Monitoring" in defence research and technology has been signed.
Zurich Airport announces changes to winter flight schedule
This content was published on
With the change to the winter flight schedule, Zurich Airport is offering new destinations. In addition, the Middle East, Asia and Africa will be better connected to Switzerland.
Swiss warn of effects of new technologies on global peace and security
This content was published on
The ultra-fast development of new technologies and AI will have a major impact on peace and security in the world, warns the UN Security Council.
Swiss steel workers hold demonstration to save their plant
This content was published on
Several hundred employees of the Stahl Gerlafingen steel company demonstrated in Bern on Monday morning against the company's plans to dismantle the plant.
Switzerland keeps its four three-star Michelin restaurants
This content was published on
The Michelin Guide has awarded stars to a total of 136 restaurants in Switzerland in 2024. The four restaurants that had previously been awarded three stars will retain the distinction.
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.