Germany asks Switzerland for Leopard tanks

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They are mothballed and almost forgotten in a secret warehouse in eastern Switzerland: 96 decommissioned Swiss Army Leopard 2 tanks. Now the war material is at the center of the political debate. Research by Blick shows that Berlin wants Switzerland to sell back the battle tanks to the German manufacturer Rheinmetall. He wants to use the vehicles to close “gaps” in EU and NATO countries. In addition to Germany, Poland, Portugal, Finland and Sweden also supply Leopard tanks to Kiev.

In a letter dated February 23, German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius (SPD) and Economics Minister Robert Habeck (Greens) informed Federal Councilor Viola Amherd about the project. And they asked the VBS boss to agree to the sale. The two assured Amherd that the main battle tanks from Switzerland would not be passed on to Ukraine.

Parliament must say yes

VBS spokesperson Lorenz Frischknecht confirms Berlin’s request to Blick. The military has already begun preliminary investigations. Frischknecht: “From the point of view of the military, it would in principle be possible to miss a limited number of main battle tanks – minus Switzerland’s own needs.” Own use is 34 of the mothballed tanks. They would supplement the 134 upgraded Leopard-2s currently in service. Germany, for its part, has promised Ukraine 18 Leopard 2 tanks.

The condition for the deal, according to the VBS spokesperson, is that parliament formally dismantles the tanks in eastern Switzerland with an official decision. This was announced by Federal Councilor Amherd to her German colleagues yesterday.

The political debate over the deal is likely to become heated. In January and February, the security policy committees of the National Council and the Council of States rejected a similar request. They rejected a parliamentary initiative calling for the return of up to 30 of the 96 decommissioned Leopard tanks to Germany.

The majority of parliamentarians took the position that the tanks are a strategic reserve for the army that should be preserved. The officers’ association of the tank troops also clearly rejected the idea. “We don’t have enough vehicles today,” President Erich Muff recently told Blick.

Sale would be legal

The supporters, on the other hand, believed that Switzerland could make an additional contribution to European security through restitution. This strengthens the German defense capability, which significantly supports Ukraine with armaments. In this way, partner countries of Switzerland could fill gaps in their arsenal.

Meanwhile, various security politicians from left to right are open to a possible sale to Germany. This is probably also because the pressure from abroad is increasing. Many countries criticize Switzerland for prohibiting other states from transferring Swiss-produced weapons to Kiev, mainly for reasons of neutrality. Including Germany, which is not allowed to provide Ukraine with urgently needed ammunition due to a veto from the Bundesrat. In contrast, neither neutrality nor the War Material Act should stand in the way of Rheinmetall’s attempted tank buyback by Berlin.

Source:Blick