European air defense: what does Swiss participation in the Sky Shield mean?

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Switzerland would like to participate in the European air defense system Sky Shield. Defense Minister Viola Amherd (61) wants to sign a letter of intent with her German counterpart Boris Pistorius (63) and Austrian Federal Defense Minister Klaudia Tanner (53) during a meeting in Bern on Friday. Blick answers the most important questions.

What is Sky Shield about?

The goal of the “European Sky Shield” initiative is a satellite-monitored protective shield over European airspace, which could be put into operation by 2025 at the earliest. The main objective is not to fend off fighter jets, but missiles and drones. Attacks with these weapons are considered more likely by experts since the beginning of the war in Ukraine. The model is Israel’s Iron Dome air defense system, which uses surface-to-air missiles to repel rockets from Gaza over and over again.

How exactly should it work?

The DDPS emphasizes that there are no plans to bundle the air defense systems of the participating countries. It is rather a matter of better coordination. This strengthens the entire defense of European airspace. And the DDPS promises even more benefits: the purchase and maintenance of the air defense system must be jointly coordinated and, if necessary, bundled. In other words, you can probably save money with quantity discounts. Joint training in air defense is also discussed.

Who is involved in Sky Shield?

Switzerland would be the 18th country to join the initiative. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz (65) initiated the air and missile defense system last August. Britain, Slovakia, Latvia, Hungary, Bulgaria, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Finland, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Romania, Slovenia, Estonia and Norway, all NATO members, joined in October. NATO member Denmark and NATO candidate Sweden followed in February.

Together with Spain, Italy and Poland, France is the major absentee. The main focus here is on armaments policy considerations. While the other countries mainly rely on Israeli systems or, like Switzerland, on the proven US Patriot air defense system, French President Emmanuel Macron (45) rejects this. He would rather strengthen the arms industrial independence of Europe.

Is that compatible with Swiss neutrality at all?

In fact, the VBS plans are likely to spark further discussion. After all, it is also about information exchange and the operation of defense systems. However, the Sky Shield actually serves to defend one’s own territory. And a neutral state is allowed to do that. Experts argue that it is only a matter of cooperation between different countries and not of a military alliance. A mutual assistance clause like those in the NATO treaties is not on the agenda. In addition, Switzerland wants to anchor its reservations under the neutrality law in an additional statement. This excludes, for example, participation in international conflicts. Each country can determine the degree of participation in the air shield.

Is there any criticism of Switzerland’s plans?

The discussion about the project has only just begun. In Austria, which is also neutral, there was already strong criticism of participation in Sky Shield. The head of the right-wing populist FPÖ wrote in a statement that Austria’s participation in the defense project posed a security risk. This sacrifices Austria’s eternal neutrality. The party fears that anyone who participates in this anti-missile defense runs the risk of going to war with Russia.

What’s next?

Defense Minister Amherd wants to sign an accompanying letter of intent on Friday. Switzerland then wants to investigate in which areas cooperation can be strengthened. The VBS cites the ground-based air defense system Patriot as an example, the purchase of which is already planned.

Source:Blick