Army ammunition reserves: emergency supplies worth 3.4 billion

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What has regularly led to criticism is now quietly accepted. Due to the armed conflicts in Ukraine and the Gaza Strip, Defense Minister Viola Amherd (61, center) will be able to purchase additional ammunition with the 2024 army program without any resistance – even though the existing reserves are already significant. The call to focus on cyber defense and modern warfare is hardly heard anymore.

Although the shopping list for the current year is not yet available, army spokesman Mathias Volken has already made it clear: “The stocks of operational ammunition are now being increased to improve endurance and thus also defense capacity.”

Supplies for F/A-18 fighter jets, tanks and artillery

The stocks of training and operational ammunition are already impressive: they are valued at 3.4 billion francs, Volken says when asked. That is more than half the amount that the new F-35 fighter jets will cost.

Volken does not provide exact inventories because the figures are secret. In principle, however, supplies for the most important weapon systems, namely F/A-18 fighter jets, Leopard battle tanks and artillery, constituted a large part of the total value.

This amount recorded in the state accounts has fluctuated only slightly over the past ten years. This is because stockpiles must be constantly destroyed in parallel with regular ammunition purchases – sometimes in the hundreds of millions. Army spokesperson Volken explains: As soon as ammunition no longer meets the requirements for safety and effectiveness, this inventory is obliged to be reviewed or removed. “This process is ongoing.” In addition, stockpiles would also have to be eliminated if weapon systems were to be decommissioned for military reasons; or if, as with cluster munitions, a ban on further use comes into effect.

Disposal costs in the seven figures

Volken does not reveal how much expensively purchased, unused ammunition the army has had to destroy in recent years, because this would indicate that the supplies were kept secret. What is known, however, is that stock disposal alone costs a seven-figure sum annually. In 2021, for example, this was 1.3 million francs, the army message said at the time.

In the following two years, this item was no longer shown separately, but a total of more than 15 million francs was budgeted for the dismantling of army equipment and ammunition in 2022 and 2023. A loan will probably also be requested this year, says Mathias Volken.

Stock determines the endurance of an army

Because neutral Switzerland does not pass on surplus ammunition to other countries, major divestments take place after the retention periods expire – and new purchases are made at the same time. Also based on findings from the war in Ukraine.

“The endurance of an army is largely determined by the supply of ammunition and material,” Volken emphasizes. However, it is not possible to say how long current supplies would last in an emergency. That depends on the type of attack.

Source:Blick