The spur to set up the secretariat was the war in Ukraine as well as the evolution of conflict to include hybrid strategies like cyberattacks, disinformation campaigns, and blackmail, the government said on Wednesday.
National security policy is no longer just about military defense, it said; it needs a wider remit, and as such the secretariat will bring together various different desks and agencies already operating under Defence Minister Viola Amherd.
Amherd told media in Bern that the new office would not need extra financial resources, and that staff would be drawn from existing pools. She also reiterated that the naming of the office as a civilian rather than military unit did not amount to a loss of influence for the armed forces.
The secretariat will analyse the national and international security situation together with the Federal Intelligence Services (FIS), the Federal Office of Police (Fedpol) and various foreign ministry desks. It will also be responsible for the national strategy for the protection of critical infrastructure.
The coordinated office will allow the country “to react flexibly to important security policy developments”, the government said.
Also on Wednesday the government confirmed funding of CHF13.7 million ($15.3 million) for the transfer of the National Cybersecurity Centre (NCSC) to the defence ministry next year, where it will become a full federal agency. The transfer was announced in December 2022.
More
More
Government paints bleak picture of security situation
This content was published on
The Swiss government has called for efforts to boost conflict detection amid the war in Ukraine which poses a threat to security and peace in Europe.
Train vs plane: would you take a direct train between London and Geneva?
Eurostar is planning to run direct trains from Britain to Germany and Switzerland from the early 2030s. Would you favour the train over the plane? If not, why not?
Switzerland among world’s most expensive for household electricity
This content was published on
According to a study by the comparison site Verivox, based on data from Global Petrol Prices, Switzerland came in tenth out of 143 countries.
Global uncertainty boosts Swiss-EU talks, says Cassis
This content was published on
Swiss Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis says Switzerland’s talks with the European Union (EU) have been boosted by the current difficult global situation.
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.