Chief of Armaments has signed an application to join Sky Shield
Published: Tuesday, Jul 9th 2024, 12:20
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Head of Armaments Urs Loher has signed Switzerland's application to join the European Sky Shield Initiative. All member states can now comment on the application.
The Federal Council wants to join the European Sky Shield Initiative (ESSI) and thus increase international cooperation opportunities in ground-based air defense. The accession process stipulates that all states that have signed the declaration of intent can submit an application for membership at any time. This was announced by the Federal Office of Armaments (Armasuisse) on Tuesday.
Switzerland signed the declaration of intent and an additional declaration of neutrality reservations on July 7, 2023. In April 2024, the Federal Council decided to join the ESSI and authorized the Federal Department of Defence to sign the declaration of accession.
After the Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Committees of Parliament also approved the deal, the DDPS has now initiated the accession process with the signing on Monday, according to the statement.
The Chairman of the ESSI will submit the application for membership and Switzerland's draft declaration of accession to all member states for consultation. These would then have two months to comment on them. If no reservations are expressed, Switzerland can then sign the declaration of accession and the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on which the ESSI is based.
Better coordination
By participating in the ESSI, Switzerland is increasing its opportunities for international cooperation. According to the press release, participation enables better coordination of procurement projects, training and logistical aspects in the area of ground-based air defense (Bodluv).
Even after signing the declaration of accession, Switzerland is free to decide where and to what extent it participates in the ESSI and which bodluv systems it procures. Signing the declaration of accession to the MoU does not give rise to any obligations.
The "Sky Shield" initiative was launched by Germany in August 2022, six months after the first Russian attacks in Ukraine.
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