The maximum limit has already been exceeded: Amherd wants to reduce the size of the army

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It sounds bizarre. The Swiss army has been complaining for years that it is increasingly short of soldiers. The army does not have too few soldiers, on the contrary. It’s even too big. The regulation on the organization of the army states that the army has a target number of 100,000 and an effective number of 140,000 people subject to military service – a maximum.

But the requirement is not met. The number increased to more than 151,000 people in 2022. Today there are more than 147,000 military members. Still more than 7,000 more than legally allowed. Military law allows the federal government to exceed the maximum authorized number of armed forces; but that was limited to the end of 2022. Now it is against the law.

Amherd encounters resistance

Defense Minister Viola Amherd (61) is also clear about this. To solve the problem, she reportedly proposed during the Federal Council meeting on Wednesday to reduce the effective number of army personnel by a total of 18,400 in the coming years. The Tages-Anzeiger reports this.

This would reduce the effective stock to just under 130,000. In the coming years it would not exceed the allowed 140,000 people, even if the recruiting schools registered a small increase.

But: Federal councilor Amherd is expected to encounter resistance in the Federal Council with her concerns. At least two reports have been submitted from other departments questioning their plans.

It is better to change the law than to change the shares

One co-report should cover the current situation in the field of security policy. The war in Ukraine and the increased terrorist threat due to the conflict in the Middle East would not make it possible to reduce the number of armies, the report says. The army is Switzerland’s strategic security reserve. It is used when civil authorities need to be supported and the country needs to be defended.

For this reason, stock reduction cannot be ordered today. Instead, the legal basis should be amended so that the existing status can be maintained.

Amherd has to go through the books again

The second co-report criticizes the fact that Amherd did not hold a public consultation. The cantons in particular will be affected by the reduction of the army, as they will ultimately have fewer army members available for protection duties in the future. This becomes relevant when the police are no longer sufficient to guarantee internal security.

As the “Tages-Anzeiger” further reports, the subject was actively discussed in the Federal Council. So far, however, Amherd has not been able to convince her arguments. Your defense department must now provide additional legal clarifications next week. Then the centrist politician can make another attempt to comply with the law again. (dba)

Source:Blick