The National Council Security Policy Committee (SIK-N) wants to dismantle 25 army Leopard tanks. She wants to enable the resale of these tanks to the German manufacturer.
96 Army Leopard 2 main battle tanks are stored in Switzerland. At the beginning of March it was announced that Germany had applied for the purchase of such tanks; the Bundesrat confirmed this during question time in the National Council. According to Defense Minister Viola Amherd, a request has also been received from the Czech Republic.
It was not known at the time how many tanks the two states wanted to purchase. Armin Papperger, head of the German armaments group Rheinmetall, then said in an interview with the “Neue Zürcher Zeitung” in mid-March that Rheinmetall wanted to buy 36 Leopard 2 tanks from Switzerland.
No harm to the military
The SIK-N accepted the request for the decommissioning of 25 tanks by 17 votes to 7 with one abstention, the parliamentary services announced on Tuesday.
A narrow majority of the SIK-N also wants the Swiss army to do without the tanks only if they are sold back to the German manufacturer. The committee took this decision with 10 votes in favour, 9 against and 6 abstentions.
In the eyes of the majority, the dismantling and sale of the tanks does not constitute a disadvantage for the army in terms of full equipment, training and spare parts reserves. The minority does not want to decommission the tanks for future use.
No exact numbers given
In early March, the Federal Council announced in the National Council that some of the decommissioned Leopard tanks could be scrapped, but gave no figures on any tanks that might be available. He noted that the army was investigating whether some tanks needed to be modernized in order to fully equip the six mechanized battalions.
Shortly before this Question Time, army chief Thomas Süssli had spoken of a dozen available tanks, after deducting all personal needs. (dab/sda)
Soource :Watson
I am Amelia James, a passionate journalist with a deep-rooted interest in current affairs. I have more than five years of experience in the media industry, working both as an author and editor for 24 Instant News. My main focus lies in international news, particularly regional conflicts and political issues around the world.
