Swiss army chief moots future purchase of armed drones

Over the past few years there have been repeated calls for Switzerland’s armed forces to be boosted and better prepared. © Keystone / Christian Beutler

Switzerland needs to modernise its armed forces in the next ten years and is examining whether to buy armed drones, Swiss army chief Thomas Süssli declared in an interview on Monday.

“We want to completely renew a third of the army by the end of the decade – two tank battalions and six infantry battalions,” the head of the Swiss army, Thomas Süssli, toldExternal link the CH-Media group.

As part of the ongoing reflection on how to modernise Switzerland’s army, officials are examining the possible purchase of armed drones. The procurement of so-called “loitering ammunition”, which can circle over a target before striking, is being considered as a possible solution to partially replace artillery, said Süssli, who was appointed head of the Swiss army in 2019.

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The procurement of rocket artillery is also being looked into, he told the newspaper group.

Süssli, who is a former banker and IT specialist, said he thought the Swiss army also needed to further develop its digital capacities. Computer images transmitted from the battlefield could help make more effective use of weapons, he declared.

+ Read more about Swiss government plans to boost the armed forces

Over the past few years there have been repeated calls for Switzerland’s armed forces to be boosted and better prepared.

Earlier this month the Swiss government called on parliament to raise the budget for the armed forces in response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Expenditure for the armed forces should be raised by CHF600 million to a total of CHF21.7 billion over the next four years. Parliament has already decided to gradually increase army spending to at least 1% of Gross Domestic Product by 2030 at the latest.

Last year parliament gave the green light for the creation of a cyber command centre for the armed forces as part of an overhaul of the country’s cyber defence.

Under Switzerland’s militia army system, all able-bodied Swiss men are called up to do military service from the age of 19. If declared fit for military service – as on average two-thirds of conscripts are – the only way out is to opt for civilian community service on ethical grounds.

Reforms implemented in 2018 reduced the number of Swiss troops on active duty from 140,000 to 100,000. Around 10,000 are professionals, the rest are conscripts or volunteers. Military service is voluntary for women, who currently number around 1,000.