When Swiss Abroad come back for army training

Headed for school, but not of the classic kind. Keystone / Marcel Bieri

Each year, young Swiss Abroad from around the world come back to the Alpine Nation for training in the army’s recruit schools – despite most of them being exempt from military service.

On Monday, 12,126 recruits reported to Swiss army schools, where 2,587 professional officers will train them over the next 18 weeks. The vast majority were men; women made up around 3% of the total, the army said.

Each year, a certain number of Swiss Abroad are found in the pool of recruits. This year, 48 made the trip – even though during peace time they are exempt from military service, as long as they live abroad.

Swiss citizens abroad meanwhile go through a special recruitment procedure which involves them being called up around one to four weeks before training begins.

Travel costs from abroad are covered by the state, depending on financial circumstances. “The federal authorities cover one trip in each direction – generally at the time of recruitment and then after training to go back abroad,” the defence ministry told SWI swissinfo.ch in 2021.

“I always knew that I wanted to one day be part of the Swiss army,” says Gregory Boast, who in 2021 attended training in a Swiss recruit school. Boast, who was 19 at the time, is a Swiss-South African dual national who grew up in Johannesburg.

From books to boots

When young Swiss Abroad come to study in Switzerland – as Boast did – they automatically receive a draft notice when registering at their third-level institution. Boast enjoyed the military service so much that he subsequently applied to officer training school.

Recruit training is carried out as a means to defend against a military attack against Switzerland. And in order for army members to understand the forces as an overall system, several joint trainings are carried out among different types of troops.

Some aspects of military training – for example in first aid or vehicle driving – is also useful in civilian life, the army maintains. And some training programmes, especially for non-commissioned officers, senior non-commissioned officers and officers, involve earning ECTS credits.

Current Defence Minister – and Swiss President – Viola Amherd has said that raising the level of women in the army is a priority. By 2030 she wants around 10% of the troops to be women; the current figure is closer to 1%.

Adapted from German by Domhnall O’Sullivan