Swiss defence minister faces questions over Ruag and Leopard tanks

Defence Minister Viola Amherd faces a grilling by the Swiss parliament’s Security Policy Committee on Monday. Keystone / Anthony Anex

Swiss Defence Minister Viola Amherd is due to face a parliamentary committee hearing on Monday over her roles in the “Ruag affair” and an attempt to sell Leopard tanks to the German arms group Rheinmetall.

Parliament’s Security Policy Committee wants to discuss several delicate political issues with the Valais cabinet minister. These include the sudden resignation of Brigitte Beck, chief executive officer of the Swiss state-owned defence contracting firm Ruag earlier this month, and the attempt by Ruag to sell Leopard tanks to the German arms group Rheinmetall.

“We are going to talk about Ruag; we are going to talk about the strategic directions which are given by the Federal Council for this arms company linked to the federal authorities. I hope it will be a frank conversation,” centre-right Radical parliamentarian François Pointet toldExternal link Swiss public TV, RTS, on Sunday.

The commission wants to know why Ruag CEO Brigitte Beck resigned on August 13, and was Amherd aware of Ruag’s wish to sell 96 old Leopard tanks stored in Italy to Rheinmetall? Did Amherd want to defy the Swiss ban on re-exporting weapons?

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The Swiss defence minister has so far refused to discuss these issues. Several parliamentarians find it hard to believe that she was unaware of what was going on.

“We can assume the hypothesis that the boss of Ruag shared the views of Viola Amherd,” said Jean-Luc Addor, parliamentarian of the right-wing Swiss People’s Party.

Franziska Roth, a centre-left Social Democrat, believes a government representative should sit on Ruag’s board of directors. She also thinks the parliamentary management committee should take up these issues. “In a report, there was an agreement between the head of Ruag and the defence department about this tank deal. It is important that the management committee looks into this and determines whether we sent Ruag’s director to fight a losing battle.”

An expensive delay for the F35 jets

Viola Amherd is responsible for other important defence issues. Last week, it was reported that there could be a delay in the delivery of new F-35 fighter jets to Switzerland. If the F-35s do not arrive on time, Switzerland would have to extend the lifespan of its existing F/A-18 jets and patch them up. This could be very expensive for Swiss taxpayers.

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There is also the question of Swiss participation in the European air defence system Sky Shield. In June Amherd signed a memorandum of understanding with Germany and Austria to participate in Sky Shield but did not warn parliament.

“She is a skilful tactician and a skilful politician. She lacks the courage to communicate her vision in a frank and clear way. She backpedals a lot when she sees that it does not pass, which is a bit of a shame,” said Pointet.

So far, the Swiss defence minister has not been affected politically by these various issues. Her time in office includes the successful purchase of the F-35 jets and the creation of a cybersecurity centre. Opinion polls regularly rank her as the most popular cabinet minister.

But the issue of tanks that could be sent to Ukraine is extremely delicate against the backdrop of the war, Swiss neutrality and its arms export policy.

When the new cabinet ministers Elisabeth Baume-Schneider and Albert Rösti joined the Swiss government at the start of the year, Viola Amherd chose to remain head of the defence ministry, although she could have changed position. Since the start of the war in Ukraine and Switzerland’s wish to strengthen collaboration with more foreign armies, her department has become increasingly exposed.

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