“Otherwise we will have a shadow army in ten years”

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For Stefan Holenstein (61), president of the Swiss Association of Military Companies (VMG), it is “simply unbearable”: Many would leave the army for civilian service anyway after completing recruiting school (RS) and possibly even a cadre training – “and only then claim an alleged conflict of conscience”.

The Swiss military has been warning for years that they will run out of soldiers by the end of the decade – although the army is currently far too overstaffed.

In the meantime, even the legal maximum limit is not being met. To get rid of people quickly, the service time is reduced from 12 to 10 years.

‘Militia system is taken ad absurdum’

At the same time, the military is complaining about more and more people leaving: In 2022, 24,800 conscripts were classified as fit for service – nearly 10 percent more than in the previous year. However, more than a quarter of them were admitted to civilian service, which is also almost 8 percent more, according to the Federal Bureau of Civil Service. About a third of them only applied after the RS.

For Holenstein, the system of freedom of choice has “gone completely out of hand”. Today there are about 55,000 Zivis. “If this trend continues, in ten years we will have a shadow army of trained people who have evaded conscription and will even outnumber the army,” he warns. “This takes the militia system ad absurdum.”

Tightening of conditions for repurposing

The Council of States now wants to put a stop to this development: Those who want to transfer from the army to civilian service will have to take higher hurdles in the future. After the National Council, the Council of States also demands that the Federal Council tightens up the conditions for this redistribution.

On Monday, the small chamber referred a corresponding motion from the SVP parliamentary group with 31 votes in favour, 9 against and 0 abstentions. Those who can be relocated, among others, must perform a minimum of 150 days of community service in the future.

Once approved for civilian service, annual deployment should also be mandatory for former military personnel. The official assignments for doctors, veterinarians and dentists will also be limited. These people should increasingly serve in the military.

The SVP justified the move primarily with the deteriorating security situation in Europe. She wants to increase the army supply. The National Council already approved the initiative last fall.

Millions of francs are spent “uselessly”.

The Federal Council supported the initiative. Affairs Minister Guy Parmelin (63) told the Council that a third of transfers to civilian service took place after completing the RS. That’s why the army loses a lot of money. The preliminary advisory committee of the Council of States spoke of 69 million Swiss francs that were ultimately spent “uselessly” in 2021. This is because in the said year 2000 people were redistributed after completion of the RS.

The high number of admissions to civil service cannot be explained solely by incompatibility with conscience. It also indicates that conscripts are switching to community service because it better suits their career plans and private life, according to the committee.

In the summer of 2020, a proposal for higher thresholds for civilian service failed in parliament. The SVP then took six of the eight points from the legislative project and dropped the two most controversial measures. (dBA/SDA)

Source:Blick