New Swiss defence minister sets course for security policy

New Federal Councillor Pfister sets the course for security policy Keystone-SDA

Developing Swiss security policy strategically, strengthening the army's defence capabilities and consolidating trust in the defence ministry: these are the priorities that the new defence minister, Martin Pfister, has set himself.

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Pfister presented his programme to the media on Monday at the weapons range in Bure, canton Jura. While newly elected members of the government usually appear before the media for the first time after 100 days in office, Pfister did so after about half as much time.

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Switzerland’s security is more at risk than it has been for years, Pfister said in a statement. Switzerland must therefore take security into its own hands and utilise all available means to achieve this.

Parliament decided to increase the army budget to 1% of gross domestic product by 2032. According to the statement, Pfister said this would complete the first step towards strengthening defence capabilities by the end of the 2030s. He also wants to focus on international cooperation.

Translated from German by DeepL/ts

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