Switzerland sends defence attaché to Poland

Switzerland sends defence attaché to Poland Keystone-SDA

Switzerland is responding to the heightened security threat in north-eastern Europe in the wake of Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine. A new defence attaché in the Polish capital, Warsaw, is set to take up post in mid-2027 to ensure earlier risk detection.

+Get the most important news from Switzerland in your inbox

The government announced on Friday that stationing a defence attaché in Warsaw would enable Switzerland to “assess the threat situation in northeastern Europe more effectively and at an earlier stage”. The new post in Warsaw is intended to improve and speed up the flow of information from the region’s security-relevant states. The “military-diplomatic intelligence capability” on the ground is to be expanded, the government said.

Improved situation analysis will make it possible to identify potential risks to Switzerland at an early stage and assess them thoroughly, it said. Furthermore, international cooperation between the defence ministry and the Armed Forces will be strengthened.

+ Russia poses the biggest espionage threat in Switzerland

Northeastern Europe in particular – including Poland and the Baltic states – is regarded as a critical region in view of the deteriorating security situation. The countries of northeastern Europe, in particular, find themselves exposed to hybrid threats from Russia or Belarus, which arise from a combination of military, economic, intelligence and propaganda measures. There have been repeated incidents in the recent past, such as those involving drones.

According to the government, further secondary accreditations in the region are also possible from Warsaw. The resources required for the new post will, according to the government, be offset within the defence ministry.

Switzerland currently has a total of 20 defence attachés with 52 secondary accreditations. According to the government, there is not yet a comprehensive presence in northeastern Europe. Poland and Estonia have so far been covered by the missions in Germany and Stockholm.

Of the 20 Swiss defence attachés, ten are currently stationed in Europe, one in Washington, four in the Middle East and Africa, and five in the Asia-Pacific region.

+ Switzerland to post three new overseas defence attachés

Translated from German, sub-edited by ts