Swiss army and intelligence chiefs ‘have resigned’

Thomas Süssli will stay in post until the end of the year, according to reports. Keystone / Peter Schneider

The heads of both the Swiss military and intelligence services are stepping down from their roles, according to media reports.

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The defence ministry and the army initially refused to comment on an article in the Neue Zürcher Zeitung that Thomas Süssli has already handed in his notice as head of the armed forces.

The newspaper reports that Christian Dussey has also resigned as head of the Federal Intelligence Service (FIS).

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Swiss public broadcaster SRF has also learned of the double resignation from “sources close the Federal Council”.

Süssli will stay in his post until the end of the year while Dussey intends to remain until the end of March 2026, according to the reports.

Süssli was appointed armed services head in 2020 but has endured a difficult few months with the military coming under intensifying criticism for botched procurement projects.

Last month, Swiss defence minister Viola Amherd tendered her resignation and will step down at the end of March.

Dussey has been chair of the Federal Intelligence Service since 2022.