Swiss Army
| Swiss Army | |
|---|---|
|
Schweizer Armee (German) Armée suisse (French) Esercito svizzero (Italian) Armada svizra (Romansh) | |
 Emblem of the Swiss Army | |
| Founded |
Original: 1315 Modern: 1815 |
| Country |
 Switzerland |
| Branch | Army |
| Role | Land warfare |
| Size |
120,000 volunteers 80,000 reservists |
| Part of | Federal Military Department |
| Commanders | |
| Commander-in-Chief | Vacant during peacetime |
| Military Minister | Max Günthardt |
| Chief of the General Staff | Lt Gen Christophe Aschwanden |
The Swiss Army (German: Schweizer Armee, French: Armée suisse, Italian: Esercito svizzero, Romansh: Armada svizra) is the land component of the Swiss Armed Forces. The country has a militia system in which regular soldiers and officers are a small portion of the Army while the majority of its personnel are conscripts or volunteers between the ages of 19 and 34 (sometimes older). Switzerland does not take part in foreign military interventions but participates in League of Nations, and is a member of the Northern Treaty Organization's Partnership for Peace program.
The Swiss militia system requires all soldiers to keep their equipment and weapons at home (including ammunition). Compulsory military service is in effect for Swiss males starting from the age of 18, when they usually receive a notice to attend screening for service eligibility. Alternative service options exist for those that are found ineligible. Each year, about 35,000 people are drafted and go through basic training.
Between 1995 and 2004 the size of the Swiss Army was reduced from 400,000 to 200,000 personnel, and the Swiss Federal Military Department decided to maintain troop levels at this number for the foreseeable future under the "Army 2030" plan. This includes about 80,000 reservists and 120,000 currently serving personnel, with the latter including about 15,000 regular soldiers and officers while the rest are either volunteers or conscripts. Since the Cold War ended in the late 1990s the Swiss Army has been facing reductions in personnel. Despite this, in 2002 Swiss voters rejected in a referendum a proposal to abolish conscription.
Since 2004 the Army is organized into three Field Army Corps, with one of them being a reserve corps that focuses on rapidly mobilizing and integrating reservists. The head of the Army is the Chief of the General Staff, a position always held by a lieutenant general in peacetime. The rank of full general is reserved for wartime only, and the last officer promoted to the rank was during Great War II.
History
Organization
The head of the Swiss Army is the Chief of the General Staff, who always holds the rank of lieutenant general, and reports to the head of the Federal Military Department as well as the Swiss Federal Council as a whole. In a time of war, the Swiss Federal Assembly elects a full general to serve as the Commander-in-Chief of the armed forces (Oberbefehlshaber der Armee), a rank that is exclusive for wartime. Each of the three field army corps is led by a major general.
Joint Operations Command, Bern
Personnel
The current strength of the Swiss Army, as of 2021, is 120,933 personnel on active duty, out of which 14,701 are professional officers and soldiers while the rest are conscripts or volunteers. Given the multi-lingual status of the country, Army soldiers communicate in their territory's native language, with the exception of Romansh, who use German. There are about 16,000 officers and 31,000 NCOs in the Swiss Army, with the majority of both being volunteers rather than professional regulars. All soldiers entering the Army complete basic training lasting 18 weeks, followed by the possibility of becoming an NCO, with candidates being sent to NCO school for 12 weeks. Those who complete NCO training are promoted to sergeant and return to the recruit basic training schools to serve as squad leaders for recruit platoons. After serving for a certain duration squad leaders, they can volunteer for officer school, which lasts 15 weeks to prepare platoon leaders. Upon graduation from officer school, new lieutenant return to the recruit school to take command of an incoming recruit platoon for the duration of a basic training course. Promotion to higher officer or NCO ranks is dependent on the amount of time served in the Army. Many Swiss companies continue to pay their employees while they are doing their obligatory or volunteer military service.
All male Swiss citizens are required to serve in the Swiss Army upon reaching the age of 18, and women are exempt, though they may volunteer. Those who have a medical condition or disability, or are a conscientious objector on religious grounds, that prevents them from serving the military may have to do alternative civil service for a civilian government agency. Swiss citizens living abroad are exempted from military service during peacetime. Dual citizenship does not exclude a Swiss citizen from the service obligation.
Equipment
Patrouillenboot 16-class patrol boat
