2024-04-04 19:41:59
Josef Dittli is worried. He demands that the army must once once more see parts of the infantry as combat troops. And the army itself? She wants a weapons range where she can train in urban warfare.
Othmar von Matt / ch media
During his public appearances, General Carsten Breuer now always asks one question suddenly: “Can you do war? Can we make war?” As a result, it becomes quiet among those listening. Breuer is Inspector General and therefore the highest-ranking soldier in the German Bundeswehr.
Standing at attention for high-ranking state guests like China’s Prime Minister Li Qiang is no problem for Swiss soldiers. The fight of combined arms to defend the country, on the other hand, is very possible.Image: keystone
Uri Councilor of States Josef Dittli (FDP) asks himself a similar question: Is the Swiss army capable of defending itself? His short answer: No. “The army today is geared towards subsidiary operations, not defense,” he says. Switzerland has a problem with combat troops for classic defense. “The army is no longer equipped to fight combined arms. That needs to change.”
Dittli’s statements give food for thought. The Council of States knows the Swiss Army from the inside out: he was a career officer for 19 years and is by far the best army expert in parliament. He completed training at the ETH Zurich Military Academy and in 2000 the Senior Course in Security Policy at the NATO Defense College in Rome.
Uri Councilor of States Josef Dittli knows the Swiss Army from the inside out. He was a career officer for 19 years.Image: keystone
Dittli was commander of the Uri Mountain Fusilier Battalion 87 and commander of the Mountain Infantry Regiment 18. The colonel in the general staff was also commander of the tactical training center in the higher cadre training of the Swiss Army in Kriens.
The population sees defense capability in second place
The “Security 2024” study by ETH Zurich shows that the defense capability of the army is important for the Swiss. With 9 out of 10 points, defense capability is the second most important task for the army. First place is disaster relief.
This is where Dittli comes in. He complains that today the army only has two mechanized brigades available for defensive combat and are equipped with Leopard 2 tanks. The third mechanized brigade is without tanks and has a “more or less support function with artillery, intelligence and reconnaissance.”
In addition, all 17 infantry battalions in Switzerland are subordinate to the four territorial divisions. This means that they only carry out subsidiary operations. “They do that excellently,” emphasizes Dittli. “They guard critical infrastructure and embassies, support the cantons with conference protection (WEF), support the border guard corps, and stand on the slopes during ski races.”
All 17 infantry battalions in Switzerland are now subordinate to the territorial divisions and therefore only work on a subsidiary basis – for example at the WEF in Davos.Image: keystone
“The Federal Council must say how it wants to defend the country”
But that is not enough for the Council of States. The Federal Council as a whole must now finally say “how it wants to defend the country,” demands Dittli. “I expect him to come up with a strategic concept for a defensible army.” The Army Message 2024 names the ten central capabilities for the army. But that is not enough.
As a former career officer, Dittli shows how, in his view, the situation might be quickly improved: by the army strengthening its share of defense with existing troops.
First, the Army would have to form two heavy divisions with the three mechanized brigades and their support and reconnaissance battalions, he says. This means that some of the 71 Leopard 2 tanks stored in eastern Switzerland will be made combat capable once more.
Councilor of States Josef Dittli wants to form two heavy divisions with tanks. In the future, these will train in conjunction with infantry battalions.Image: KEYSTONE
Second, Dittli suggests attaching four to six infantry battalions to these two new combat divisions. “You would have to train combined arms combat with them,” he says: “With engineer troops, anti-aircraft defense, artillery, infantry, surface-to-air defense, air reconnaissance, air support and a command network.” This would allow Switzerland to “strengthen its defense capability relatively quickly and noticeably”.
Dittli says that this transformation can begin immediately during training. As early as 2025, infantry battalions might conduct refresher courses in an operational network with a mechanized brigade. “By 2030 at the latest, when the new fighter planes and the Patriot system arrive, you would have to have a new structure with combat units.”
Of course, skills gaps should also be closed, says Dittli. There is “a lot of catching up to do”. The army needs an air defense system for short and medium distances between 5 and 15 kilometers and has to replace various systems.
Security politician Josef Dittli (left) with army chief Thomas Süssli. The two share one concern: the army’s capability gaps need to be closed. Image: Keystone
How does the army react to the criticism?
What does the army say regarding Dittli’s criticism? “If several troops had to be deployed at the same time in the event of an armed attack once morest Switzerland today, significant gaps in equipment would become apparent,” admits Stefan Hofer, the army’s media chief. “The army’s endurance is also severely limited.” Logistics and stockpiling are now highly optimized according to business principles and primarily adapted to the needs of the training. Due to the lack of funds, the army has had to adjust its priorities over the last three decades.
“Nevertheless, overall defense competence was maintained,” emphasizes Hofer. “The militia cadres continue to learn in schools and courses how defense operations are planned and conducted.”
But something else is also happening. From 2022, the army will begin to focus training “gradually more on defense,” says Hofer. An example of this is the 2022 exercise “Pilum” for the mechanized troops. It was Switzerland’s largest military exercise in thirty years. 5,000 army personnel were involved. The Air Force also rehearsed the defense case with “Stabante 2022”. In addition, the mobilization organization was reintroduced.
From 2025 it is planned that infantry units, ground-based short-range air defense and medical troops will train with mechanized units, says Hofer. “The aim is to gain experience for the later formation of so-called heavy divisions.”
The army wants a new training area domestically
The management of networked operations places high demands on the training of troops and cadres, emphasizes Hofer. “Simulators can be used for part of this training. However, simulations do not replace full-force exercises.”
Switzerland today lacks a training ground that corresponds to a more extensive urban area, as is characteristic of the Mittelland, emphasizes Hofer. The aim is to practice fighting in built-up areas and to train larger mechanized combat units.
“It would therefore be advisable,” says the army spokesman, “if in the medium to long term a training area were created domestically where combined arms combat in live fire can be trained – with larger units than is possible today.”
At the same time, the army is examining whether it can train selected units on training grounds in neighboring countries on the basis of bilateral framework training agreements.
German General Carsten Breuer believes there isn’t much time left. “We see Russia capable of waging war once morest NATO states in five to eight years,” he tells Die Zeit.
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