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It’s not all that bad, but it’s still a disaster. The statements of army chief Thomas Süssli (57) about the financial situation of the army were contradictory. That the army will be short of more than a billion francs in the coming years to pay for the weapons already ordered? “No drama,” assured the corps commander last week at a media conference organized by Elig after the billion-dollar deficit became public. At the same time, he said that in a few years Switzerland would effectively be without an army because it had no money for investments.
Contradictions also arise between Süssli and his boss, Defense Minister and Federal President Viola Amherd (61). Last summer, the federal councilor defended the planned austerity program during meetings of the Security Policy Committee of the Council of States. She supported the Federal Council’s demand to increase the army budget to 1 percent of gross domestic product (GDP) not by 2030, but only in 2035. Parliament eventually approved the plan.
Amherd made light of the financial gap
The “NZZ am Sonntag” has the confidential minutes of the meeting. Accordingly, Amherd told Council of States security politicians in August: “We agree to postpone the increase to 1 percent until 2035.” And: “In my opinion, this approach is responsible.”
That sounds very different from what Süssli said. In an interview with the “Tages-Anzeiger” he explained that the delay had serious consequences for the army. Weapon systems must be retired before replacements can be purchased. This is especially true for artillery and tanks. The war in Ukraine has shown how important heavy equipment is for an army. “Therefore: No, I cannot be responsible for this situation in our army,” he said in response to a question.
Federal councilor runs for cover
Amherd has so far declined to comment on the latest revelations. She places the responsibility entirely on Süssli and rejects an interview request from Blick. When she appeared last Thursday at the Security Policy Committee of the Council of States, which seemed very irritated by the announced financing shortage, she simply said: “At the moment there is no promise left. Only there is no gap.’ To which she smiled and walked away.
Security politicians criticize that Süssli and Amherd have not provided them with comprehensive information about the army’s financial situation. Amherd has not said a word about the liquidity problems, Solothurn SP councilor Franziska Roth (57) told Blick. “In doing so, she gave Parliament the false belief that all was well with his finances.” Bernese SVP State Councilor Werner Salzmann (61), chairman of the Security Committee of the Council of States, also accused that the information was only superficial.
The fact is that the military is now canceling air shows for cost-cutting reasons – on the grounds that the red pencil is being applied to those items that do not contribute to defense capability in the narrow sense. At the same time, the army recently treated itself to a new logo. A PR agency spent 227,000 francs on the concept, Blick reported on Sunday. The army leadership has no problem with that. To defend yourself you need enough army members, she explains. These must be “addressed with a modern and contemporary identity”. (lha)
Source:Blick
I am Liam Livingstone and I work in a news website. My main job is to write articles for the 24 Instant News. My specialty is covering politics and current affairs, which I’m passionate about. I have worked in this field for more than 5 years now and it’s been an amazing journey. With each passing day, my knowledge increases as well as my experience of the world we live in today.
