Switzerland should do more to boost its security, says think-tank

Switzerland plans to buy 36 new F-35 fighter aircraft from US manufacturer Lockheed Martin. © Keystone / Ennio Leanza

Switzerland should boost transnational military cooperation and improve its ability to counter cyber-attacks, says liberal think-tank Avenir Suisse.

In a studyExternal link on “Security Policy Perspectives” released on Friday, Avenir Suisse writes that “the protection afforded by Switzerland’s geographical and political environment is waning”. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the ongoing armed conflict there represent “a turning point in the European post-war order. But for some time now, conflicts have also increasingly been waged below the actual threshold of war in ‘hybrid’ form”. 

This includes cyber-attacks, it says. “Unconventional scenarios such as cyber-attacks on military and other critical infrastructure are gaining in significance by comparison with conventional armed threats,” notes Avenir Suisse.

Military means alone are not sufficient to control the threats to which Switzerland is exposed today, which also include pandemics, power shortages, mobile network outages, and terrorist attacks, both with and without drones, says the study.  

Boosting defences

In spite of the new threats, the bulk of investments earmarked for upgrading Swiss army equipment in the coming decade are for purchasing conventional means, while only a small part of the budget is earmarked for increasing cyber defence, according to Avenir Suisse. Cybersecurity in Switzerland should be strengthened, both in the army and in critical infrastructure, it concludes.

The Swiss government announced last year a controversial decision to buy 36 new F-35 fighter aircraft from US manufacturer Lockheed Martin. “F-35A fighter planes are designed specifically for deployment within a military alliance (i.e. NATO),” writes Avenir Suisse. “To harness their full potential, transnational military cooperation should be stepped up, for example by taking part in NATO exercises.”

This means that Switzerland, which is not a member of NATO, would have to clarify “questions of neutrality”, it says.