Switzerland cannot defend itself against a full-scale military attack and must significantly raise defence spending amid rising security risks linked to Russia, according to the head of the country’s armed forces.
The warning was delivered by Thomas Suessli, who is stepping down at the end of the year, in remarks highlighting long-standing structural and financial constraints within the military.
Suessli said Switzerland is prepared to respond to cyber attacks and threats from non-state actors targeting critical infrastructure.
However, he said the military lacks the capability to counter long-range or large-scale conventional attacks on the country.
“What we cannot do is defend against threats from a distance or even a full-scale attack on our country,” Suessli said in an interview with the Swiss newspaper NZZ.
He pointed to persistent equipment shortages across the armed forces.
“It’s burdensome to know that in a real emergency, only a third of all soldiers would be fully equipped,” he said.
Suessli added that public attitudes toward the military have not fundamentally shifted despite the war in Ukraine and Russia’s efforts to destabilise Europe.
He attributed this to Switzerland’s distance from active conflict, its lack of recent wartime experience, and what he described as a misplaced belief in the protective power of neutrality.
“But that’s historically inaccurate,” Suessli said, arguing that neutrality only has value if it can be defended.
Switzerland is in the process of increasing defence spending and modernising key military capabilities.
Current plans include upgrades to artillery and ground systems and the replacement of ageing fighter jets with Lockheed Martin F-35A aircraft.
The government has pledged to gradually raise defence spending to around 1 percent of gross domestic product by about 2032, up from roughly 0.7 percent.
This remains far below the 5 percent level agreed by NATO countries.
At the current pace, Suessli said, the Swiss military would only be fully ready by around 2050.
“That is too long given the threat,” he said.
The spending plans have faced criticism over cost overruns and concerns about allocating funds to weapons and munitions during a period of tight federal finances.