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The various military associations agree on one point: the military is confronted with a pile of broken pieces that have piled up over the years, but which almost no one wanted to see. However, opinions differ regarding the solution to the problem.
One thing is clear: Funds will be so tight in the coming years that the military will have to beg defense companies for deferred payments. The financial problems are so serious that the army will soon be on the verge of collapse, according to army chief Thomas Süssli (57).
The problem: The military approved more spending than the budget allowed. At the end of 2022, Parliament put the brakes on austerity and decided not to increase the budget to 1 percent of gross domestic product (GDP) in 2030, as originally planned, but only until 2035. In the coming years, the military will face with a billion dollar gap. This year alone the army will lose 800 million francs.
The military should be a financial priority
Stefan Holenstein of the Association of Military Associations (VMG) expects Parliament to review the books during the budget deliberations in December and allocate the necessary money to the army. Due to the deteriorating security situation in Europe, the army must be given financial priority, he emphasized in the Tamedia newspapers. Savings must be made elsewhere.
But if parliament does not give in, VMG President Holenstein is already threatening a popular initiative: “This would allow us to enshrine in the constitution that expenditure on the army must amount to at least 1.5 percent of economic production.” But Holenstein is also aware that this would be a long road. Political solutions would therefore first be sought.
But Holenstein emphasizes that he is certainly not afraid to take initiative. This has already been discussed internally. And the military associations are certainly capable of taking initiative. The VMG alone has approximately 100,000 members. The friendly Swiss Officers’ Association (SOG) has about 20,000 members and shooting clubs have even more than 150,000 members. “I think we would get 100,000 signatures quickly.”
“I cannot warm up to such an initiative”
However, the military associations are anything but unanimous. So far, there have been no discussions about the idea of a people’s initiative, SOG chairman Dominik Knill explains to Blick. “As a militia group, we were a little surprised.” And Knill makes it clear: “I cannot warm up to such an initiative.” Especially because the chances of success are uncertain.
Experience has shown that the implementation of a popular initiative requires a budget of approximately one million francs. Knill points out that it is currently completely unclear where the money will come from. And above all: “I wonder whether it would actually be necessary to anchor such a financial goal in the constitution.” That would deprive politicians of even more room to maneuver – especially if funds became significantly scarcer after the 13th AHV pension was accepted.
Agents are considering a bridging loan
Moreover, it would take about ten years before such an initiative could come into effect. “That would be far too long,” Knill is convinced. “By then, the military should have overcome the funding problem anyway.”
The SOG itself has a solution in the form of a bridging loan. Details have yet to be discussed. However, you can, for example, use 5 billion francs to close urgent gaps and arrange interest-bearing repayments for later, if the budget target of one percent of GDP is achieved.
Either way, the military’s financial woes will generate a lot of controversy.
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.
