"No taxpayers' money wasted" How Amherd and Süssli counter the massive criticism of army projects
Several Swiss Armed Forces projects are struggling with problems. Now the head of the DDPS, Viola Amherd, and the head of the army, Thomas Süssli, have commented on them.
31.01.2025, 11:10
31.01.2025, 12:29
SDA
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- Defense Minister Viola Amherd and the army leadership have defended the military projects that have come under criticism in front of the media in Bern.
- They admitted problems, but assured that the majority of the projects are going well.
- Army chief Thomas Süssli emphasized with regard to the criticized key projects: "No taxpayers' money has been wasted."
Defense Minister Viola Amherd and those responsible for the army counter the accusations made by parliamentary committees and the media regarding procurement projects. Amherd admitted that the public's need for information had probably been underestimated.
However, there are naturally difficulties with projects, the outgoing Federal Councillor told the media in Bern on Friday. It would be a shame not to recognize these and not to react.
It was no different with the complex seven key and top projects in her department, which were criticized by the Finance Delegation and the Swiss Federal Audit Office, among others.
At the same time, Amherd admitted: "There is room for improvement in the DDPS. The challenges are great and the situation is not satisfactory." The situation had been underestimated and too little information had been provided.
Süssli: "All expenditure is within limits"
Head of the Armed Forces Thomas Süssli explained that the Defense Group is working on 169 major projects to restore defense capabilities. "In addition, there are around 1400 real estate projects. You rarely or never hear anything about most of them because they are successfully implemented," said Süssli.
With regard to the seven key DDPS projects that have been criticized, Süssli emphasizes that some of the facts have been misrepresented and clarifies: "No taxpayers' money has been wasted. All expenditure is within the regular army budget. Even if certain projects have been delayed, there has been no financial loss for the taxpayer."
The New Digitalization Platform (NDP) and the C2Air airspace surveillance system are now key. The army leadership agrees that airspace surveillance must be integrated into the NDP. The delays have not caused any financial damage, he assured.
