Swiss army to beef up cyber defence with command centre

The new cyber command of the Swiss Armed Forces will have a staff of about 570. Keyystone/Peter Schneider

Parliament has given the green light to create a cyber command centre for the Swiss armed forces.

As part of an overhaul of the country’s cyber defence, the centre will be upgraded and staffed with up to 575 members by 2026. This is more than twice as much as under the current structure.

“We must be able to respond to cyber attacks,” said Defence MinisterExternal link Viola Amherd during the debate on Tuesday. She added Switzerland lagged behind other states when it comes to digitalisation.

The Senate unanimously followed the House of Representatives as supporters referred to the risks of modern warfare and the military conflict in Ukraine.

The new rapid reaction force should be able to provide subsidiary support to operators of critical infrastructures and private companies in the defence against attacks. Infrastructures considered critical by the government include electricity companies, the national railways and telecom companies.

In 2019 Switzerland became a member of the NATO’s Cooperative Cyber Defence Centre of Excellence in Tallinn, Estonia. This has given Swiss authorities access to the centre’s knowledge and information as well as research and training activities.