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Swiss to set up new state secretariat for security

viola amherd
Swiss Defence Minister Viola Amherd in Bern on Wednesday. Keystone / Anthony Anex

The defence ministry is to house the new civilian office, which will elaborate and coordinate national security policy starting in 2024.

The spur to set up the secretariat was the war in Ukraine as well as the evolution of conflict to include hybrid strategies like cyberattacks, disinformation campaigns, and blackmail, the government said on Wednesday.

National security policy is no longer just about military defense, it said; it needs a wider remit, and as such the secretariat will bring together various different desks and agencies already operating under Defence Minister Viola Amherd.

+ Opinion: the contradictions of Swiss security policy

Amherd told media in Bern that the new office would not need extra financial resources, and that staff would be drawn from existing pools. She also reiterated that the naming of the office as a civilian rather than military unit did not amount to a loss of influence for the armed forces.

The secretariat will analyse the national and international security situation together with the Federal Intelligence Services (FIS), the Federal Office of Police (Fedpol) and various foreign ministry desks. It will also be responsible for the national strategy for the protection of critical infrastructure.

The coordinated office will allow the country “to react flexibly to important security policy developments”, the government said.

Also on Wednesday the government confirmed funding of CHF13.7 million ($15.3 million) for the transfer of the National Cybersecurity Centre (NCSC) to the defence ministry next year, where it will become a full federal agency. The transfer was announced in December 2022.

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