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The Russian war of aggression also marked a turning point in Swiss security policy. If Parliament has its way, military expenditure should gradually increase to 1 percent of gross domestic product in 2030. But the Federal Council is putting the brakes on: the target must not be reached until 2035.
Since the war in Ukraine, a battle has broken out in Bundesbern over military spending, with FDP Finance Minister Karin Keller-Sutter (59) and Defense Minister Viola Amherd (60) at the forefront. The positions are clear: Keller-Sutter acts as a purser with a strict eye for the federal treasury. Amherd, on the other hand, wants to provide the army with sufficient armaments quickly.
The crux of the matter is the pace
There is no question that the army should receive more money. The crux of the matter is the pace. Keller-Sutter wanted to hit the brakes even longer. This is apparent from documents to which Blick has access under the Government Information (Public Access) Act.
Originally, the army budget was to increase by more than 7 percent per year in real terms until 2028 in order to achieve the parliamentary target. To plug the financial hole in the federal treasury, the Treasury Department put the brakes on spending and pushed for a preliminary decision. Not only for 2024, the budget should only amount to 5.6 billion instead of the previously planned 5.9 billion francs. It should also rise more slowly in subsequent years. “The Army pay framework for 2025-2028 assumes an annual growth rate of 3 percent in real terms,” the Keller-Sutter proposal said.
Amherd showed resistance
Instead of about 8 billion, the army would only have 6.6 billion francs in 2028. The cumulative loss to the military in turn-of-the-century planning over the next five years would have been 4.2 billion francs. A huge amount.
Amherd didn’t want to just accept that. Urs Marti, head of finance at VBS, also voiced resistance in the interdepartmental debt brake working group. The minutes of February state that the DDPS is of the opinion “that there will only be real cutbacks in the army and that the other measures are more about shifting the burden or budget cosmetics”. Marti also made it clear “that the DDPS calls for army growth of 6.4 percent instead of 3 percent from 2027.”
The resistance paid off – and so the Federal Council passed a Solomonic ruling. While military spending is only expected to grow at a 3 percent annual rate through 2026, things will pick up after that.
More than 6 percent annually from 2027
The financial administration also confirms this to Blick: “Army expenditures will grow significantly more strongly from 2027, by more than 6 percent per year.” From today’s perspective, this is what is needed to bring military spending to 1 percent of GDP in 2035 from 2026 levels. The government has also set an upper limit of CHF 26 billion for the years 2025 to 2028.
SVP alderman Werner Salzmann (60) is pleased that the pace will pick up again from 2027. “It is a positive signal,” says the chairman of the Security Policy Committee. But he would like it better if the army received significantly more money in advance.
“Defensive ability not assured”
“The country’s ability to defend itself cannot be guaranteed with a growth rate of only 3 percent,” says Salzmann. The military has a lot to catch up on. “By 2040, the military will need CHF 50 billion for armaments – CHF 40 billion for ground force systems and CHF 10 billion for munitions.”
Salzmann emphasizes that there are enough projects and argues for a faster course. “Without sufficient investment, we cannot fill the gaps that already exist.”
Parliament has the last word
The Federal Council’s austerity measures are on shaky feet. Salzmann expects that army spending will again cause controversial discussions in the parliamentary budget debate at the end of this year. “It is quite conceivable that a stronger increase will become a problem,” says Berner.
This is also what the army and defense hope for. Or as an insider puts it: after years of saving with the army, more money and planning certainty are finally needed.
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.
