SWITZERLANDS ARMED FORCES

Legal Memorandum






June 2012


SWITZERLANDS ARMED FORCES

Executive Summary

The purpose of this memorandum is to provide an overview of the
Swiss armed forces. Switzerlands defense system reflects its longstanding
policy of neutrality. The Swiss constitution charges the military with
maintaining peace and defending Switzerlands population from security
threats.

Switzerlands military comes under the exclusive authority of the
state, though the state shares responsibility for internal security with local
police. The Swiss armed forces are structured as a militia, with a small
number of professional soldiers and a large reserve force composed of
conscripts. Conscripts undergo initial training upon reaching adulthood and
receive training continually for the following decade. Soldiers are then
permanently issued rifles to store in their homes should the need arise to
defend Switzerland from aggressors. Although mandatory conscription and
gun ownership have become controversial, Swiss voters recently rejected a
proposed law that would tighten gun controls and require conscripts to store
their army weapons in arsenals rather than at home.

The structure of the armed forces facilitates Swiss neutrality and
internal cohesion. The absence of a large standing army prevents
Switzerlands neighbors from perceiving a security threat, and the large
reserve force deters aggression. Mandatory conscription provides Swiss
youth of all backgrounds with a common formative experience, contributing
to the cohesion of a diverse population.



Switzerlands Military Structure, June 2012


TABLE OF CONTENTS

Statement of Purpose 1

Introduction 1

Overview of the Armed Forces 1

Structure of the Armed Forces 2

Conscription and Diversity in the Armed Forces 3

Conclusion 5



1
SWITZERLANDS MILITARY STRUCTURE

Statement of Purpose

The purpose of this memorandum is to provide an overview of Switzerlands
armed forces.

Introduction

The role of the Swiss military is to defend Switzerlands territory and
population, maintain peace, and support civilian authorities in countering internal
security threats.
1
The Swiss armed forces employ a militia structure, with a small
standing army and large pool of conscripted reservists. Because military service
provides Swiss males of all ethnic and linguistic backgrounds with a common
experience, conscription contributes to the cohesion of a diverse population.
2


Overview of the Armed Forces

Swiss military cooperation preceded political unification, and the armed
forces remain fundamental to Switzerlands international posture of armed
neutrality. The neutrality of the Swiss military was recognized formally in 1815,
and forbids military alliances and assistance to any party to a conflict.
3


Switzerland consists of twenty-six territorial cantons, which began to ally for
mutual defense against the Hapsburg Empire in the thirteenth century. This
military alliance evolved into the Old Swiss Confederacy, a loose political union
with substantial military cooperation. The 1848 constitution established the Swiss
Federation, which granted the cantons significant political sovereignty but
consolidated cantonal forces into the federal army.
4


The Swiss militarys role is shaped by the states tradition of neutrality,
which was formally recognized by other European powers in 1815. The
constitution prescribes that the armed forces, shall serve to prevent war and to
maintain peace; they shall defend the country and its population. They shall
support the civilian authorities in safeguarding the country against serious threats

1
SWITZERLAND CONST. art. 58 (1999).
2
SWITZERLAND CONST. art. 58 (1999), available at http://www.admin.ch/ch/e/rs/1/101.en.pdf.
3
Switzerland country profile, BBC (Jan.4, 2012), available at
http://news.bbc.couk/2/hi/europe/country_profiles/1035212.stm.
4
Background Note: Switzerland, U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE (Feb. 23, 2012), available
athttp//www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/3431.htm.

2
to internal security and in dealing with exceptional situations.
5
The state may
legislatively prescribe additional duties as well.
6
In 2003, legislation broadened
the mandate to include safeguarding peace locally and abroad, and preventing and
addressing other life-threatening dangers.
7
The constitution makes the armed
forces and local civilian police jointly responsible for internal security and
population protection.
8


Structure of the Armed Forces

Switzerlands constitution gives the state exclusive authority over the
military, including the decision to deploy forces,
9
equipping and training of
soldiers,
10
and military compensation.
11
The state may also enact legislation to
broaden the militarys role or grant additional benefits to soldiers.
12


The Swiss military is organized under the Federal Department of Defense,
Civil Protection, and Sport (DDPS). The General Secretariat heads the DDPS and
provides oversight.
13
The Chief of the Armed Forces, a three-star general, heads
the Defense Bureau, the largest sector of the DDPS.
14
The Defense Bureau
consists of several branches: (1) the Armed Forces Planning Staff; (2) the Armed
Forces Joint Staff, which implements political guidelines on military strategy,
allocates resources, and ensures readiness;
15
the Land Forces; the Air Force; the
Armed Forces College; the Armed Forces Logistics Organization; and the Armed
Forces Command Support Organization.
16
The Land and Air Forces are
responsible for the training and preparation of troops.
17


5
SWITZERLAND CONST. art. 58 (1999).
6
SWITZERLAND CONST. art. 58 (1999).
7
U.S. Department of State, Background Note: Switzerland, available at http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/3431.htm.
8
SWITZERLAND CONST. art. 57 (1999).
9
SWITZERLAND CONST. art. 58 (1999).
10
SWITZERLAND CONST. art. 60 (1999).
11
SWITZERLAND CONST. art. 59 (1999).
12
SWITZERLAND CONST. art. 58-59 (1999).
13
The Swiss Confederation: A Brief Guide, SWITZERLAND FEDERAL CHANCELLERY, 62-65 (2012), available at
http://www.admin.ch/dokumentation/00104/index.html?lang=en.
14
The Swiss Confederation: A Brief Guide, SWITZERLAND FEDERAL CHANCELLERY 62 (2012), available at
http://www.admin.ch/dokumentation/00104/index.html?lang=en.
15
The Swiss Confederation: A Brief Guide, SWITZERLAND FEDERAL CHANCELLERY 62 (2012), available at
http://www.admin.ch/dokumentation/00104/index.html?lang=en.Switzerland Federal Chancellery, The Swiss
Confederation: A Brief Guide, 62 (2012), available at
http://www.admin.ch/dokumentation/00104/index.html?lang=en.
16
The Swiss Confederation: A Brief Guide, SWITZERLAND FEDERAL CHANCELLERY 62 (2012), available at
http://www.admin.ch/dokumentation/00104/index.html?lang=en.
17
The Swiss Confederation: A Brief Guide, SWITZERLAND FEDERAL CHANCELLERY 62 (2012), available at
http://www.admin.ch/dokumentation/00104/index.html?lang=enSwitzerland Federal Chancellery, The Swiss

3

The Swiss armed forces are structured as a militia, with a small group of
professionals in charge of a large number of conscripts.
18
The military has very
few full-time active combat units, but maintains roughly 4,200 professional staff
and can mobilize its militia reserve within seventy-two hours.
19
As of 2009,
Switzerlands military maintained 220,000 active soldiers, including 77,000
reserves.
20
In 2011, the Swiss voted by popular referendum to reduce the size of
the Swiss army to 100,000 by 2014.
21
This reduction was proposed due to budget
constraints and reduced security needs in the aftermath of the Cold War.
22


Conscription and Diversity in the Armed Forces

The conscription system facilitates Switzerlands neutrality and focus on
defense.
23
The small standing military projects a non-threatening posture, and the
conscription of citizen-soldiers facilitates community self-defense and enables
rapid deployment in the event of an emergency. Moreover, because Swiss males
of all linguistic and ethnic backgrounds share this common experience, military
service contributes to state cohesion.
24


Swiss men between the ages of nineteen and twenty-six are constitutionally
required to enter into military service (or alternative civilian service).
25
Military
service for Swiss women is voluntary,
26
and there are about 1,050 women on active

Confederation: A Brief Guide, 62 (2012), available at
http://www.admin.ch/dokumentation/00104/index.html?lang=en.
18
Janes Information Group, Army (Switzerland) Assessment, JANES INFORMATION GROUP, available at
http://articles.janes.com/articles/Janes-Sentinel-Security-Assessment-Western-Europe/Army-Switzerland.html.
19
U.S. Department of State, Background Note: Switzerland, U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE (Feb. 23, 2012), available
at http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/3431.htm.
20
Rolf Ribi, The Swiss Army Where Does its Future Lie?, SWISS REVIEW 11 (February 2009), available at
http://www.revue.ch/files/SRV_0109_E.pdf.
21
U.S. Department of State, Background Note: Switzerland, U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE (Feb. 23, 2012), available
at http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/3431.htm.
22
Rolf Ribi, The Swiss Army Where Does its Future Lie?, SWISS REVIEW 9 (February 2009), available at
http://www.revue.ch/files/SRV_0109_E.pdf.
23
Rolf Ribi, The Swiss Army Where Does its Future Lie?, SWISS REVIEW 8, 11 (February 2009), available at
http://www.revue.ch/files/SRV_0109_E.pdf.
24
Rolf Ribi, The Swiss Army Where Does its Future Lie?, SWISS REVIEW 8, 11 (February 2009), available at
http://www.revue.ch/files/SRV_0109_E.pdf.
25
U.S. Central Intelligence Agency, Switzerland, CIA FACTBOOK, available at
https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/sz.html.
26
SWITZERLAND CONST. art. 59 (1999).

4
duty.
27
Training begins with eighteen weeks of mandatory training with seven
three-week refresher sessions throughout the following ten years.
28


Swiss citizens who fail to meet their military obligations either fully or
partially must pay an exemption tax.
29
Swiss expatriates living abroad need only
pay the tax for their first three years of interrupted stay in a foreign state.
30
The
military exemption tax is set by the state and, like other Swiss taxes, collected by
the cantons.
31
Despite this tax, only 60% of men perform their compulsory service,
presumably because they are out of the state or prefer to pay the military
exemption tax.
32


Under the militia system, soldiers are permanently issued rifles and other
equipment, which they keep at home throughout and after the conclusion of their
service.
33
The practice of storing weapons in private homes began after World
War II
34
and has recently generated controversy: while Switzerland has one of the
lowest crime rates in Europe, it has the highest rate of gun suicide in the
continent.
35
Nevertheless, Swiss voters rejected a 2011 proposal to tighten gun
control. Twenty of the twenty-six cantons and 56.3% of voters rejected the
proposed law.
36
Opponents of the law, including Defense Minister Ueli Maurer,
argued that storing military weapons in arsenals instead of homes would indicate a
lack of trust in Switzerlands military.
37


Conscription has grown increasingly controversial among Swiss citizens,
particularly the French-speaking population. 50% of Swiss French opposed

27
Background Note: Switzerland, U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE, available at
http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/3431.htm.
28
U.S. Central Intelligence Agency, Switzerland, CIA FACTBOOK, available at
https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/sz.html.
29
Military Service Exemption Tax, AUSLANDACHWEIZER ORGANISATION, available at
http://aso.ch/en/consultation/living-abroad/military-service/military-service-exemption-tax.
30
Military Service Exemption Tax, AUSLANDACHWEIZER ORGANISATION, available at
http://aso.ch/en/consultation/living-abroad/military-service/military-service-exemption-tax.
31
SWITZERLAND CONST. art. 59 (1999).
32
Rolf Ribi, The Swiss Army Where Does its Future Lie?, SWISS REVIEW 8, 11 (February 2009), available at
http://www.revue.ch/files/SRV_0109_E.pdf.
33
U.S. Central Intelligence Agency, Switzerland, CIA FACTBOOK, available at
https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/sz.html.
34
Swiss Gun Culture Comes under Fire, BBC (Feb. 11, 2011), available at http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-
europe-12414841.
35
Switzerland Rejects Tighter Gun Controls, BBC (Feb. 13, 2011), available at http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-
europe-12441834.
36
Switzerland Rejects Tighter Gun Controls, BBC (Feb. 13, 2011), available at http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-
europe-12441834.
37
Swiss Gun Culture Comes under Fire, BBC (Feb. 11, 2011), available at http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-
europe-12414841.

5
conscription in 2005, compared to 27% of Swiss Germans.
38
A more recent poll
indicates that only 43% of all Swiss adults support universal conscription.
39

However, until the constitution is changed by referendum, mandatory service in the
armed forces remains a rite of passage for most Swiss men and a fundamental
component of armed neutrality.

Conclusion

The Swiss military relies on a small standing professional army and a militia
composed of all male citizens. To maintain the military, Swiss law provides for
mandatory conscription and requires all individuals who have completed military
training to store weapons at home at all times. This military structure facilitates
both neutrality and the internal cohesion of a diverse population.



38
Ulrich Goetz, Army Recruitment Gets Personal, SWISS BROADCASTING CORPORATION (July 17, 2007), available
at http://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/Home/Archive/Army_recruitment_gets_personal.html?cid=977914.
39
Imogen Foulkes, Knives Out for Conscription into Swiss Army, BBC NEWS (Jan. 10, 2011), available at
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-12083427.