Officers’ Association calls for more funding for the army
Published: Saturday, Mar 9th 2024, 15:20
Back to Live Feed
At its delegates' meeting in Lugano on Saturday, the Swiss Officers' Association (SOG) called for more funding for the army in order to close "serious gaps". Acting President Dominik Knill was also elected for a further year in office.
The SOG announced on Saturday that it expects the army as a whole to be able to fulfill its constitutional mandate and to quickly establish defence readiness. To this end, the Swiss Armed Forces must make investments of at least 40 billion Swiss francs by 2035 in order to prevent "serious capability gaps". Planning security is absolutely essential.
The SOG also expressly welcomed the parliamentary initiatives aimed at "reducing or making it more difficult for those fit for military service to leave for civilian service". The SOG prefers the model of compulsory security service and rejects a Service Citoyen.
Almost 200 delegates were present in Lugano, as well as Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis and the head of the armed forces, Thomas Süssli. In a video message, Defence Minister and President of the Swiss Confederation Viola Amherd also emphasized that security is once again perceived as a valuable asset and is no longer taken for granted. There is a growing conviction among the population that Switzerland needs to invest more and faster in its defense capabilities.
The SOG also elected its current President Dominik Knill for a further year in office. The newspaper "Schweiz am Wochenende" had previously reported that an alliance for a strong officers' society wanted to remove Knill from office. Knill was challenged by Stefan Holenstein. The latter was SOG President from 2016 to 2021 as Knill's predecessor. Today, he heads the Swiss Association of Military Societies (VMG).
©Keystone/SDA
English 
German 
French 
Spanish 
Arabic