Switzerland is unable to protect itself from a full-scale attack and must increase military spending due to the growing threat from Russia, said the head of the Swiss armed forces, Lieutenant General Thomas Suessli.
Switzerland is severely lacking in military equipment, said Lieutenant General Thomas Suessli to the Neue Zürcher Zeitung (NZZ).
"We cannot protect ourselves from threats from afar or even from a full-scale attack on our country," said the lieutenant general, who is retiring at the end of the year. "It is hard to accept that in a real threat situation only a third of the soldiers will be fully equipped," Suessli said in an interview published on Saturday, December 27.
Switzerland has begun to increase defense spending by modernizing artillery and ground forces, as well as replacing outdated Lockheed Martin fighters with newer F-35As.
However, this plan is likely to be more expensive than expected, and critics have questioned the spending on artillery and ammunition, citing the burden on the federal budget.
Suessli stated that the attitude towards the armed forces in his country has not changed despite the war in Ukraine and Russia's attempts to destabilize Europe. He explained this by Switzerland's remoteness from the conflict zone, a long absence of military experience, and the false assumption that neutrality provides protection.
"This is historically incorrect. There are several neutral countries that were disarmed and entered into war. Neutrality is only valuable if it is defended by weapons," he said.
Switzerland has committed to gradually increase defense spending to about 1% of GDP by 2032, compared to the current 0.7%, which is significantly lower than the 5% agreed upon by NATO countries. At this rate, the Swiss army will be fully ready only around 2050.
"That is too long a timeframe considering the threat," Suessli admitted.
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