Farewell in times of threat Army chief Süssli warns urgently against Putin and becomes uncomfortable
The Ukraine war has fundamentally changed the threat situation in Europe. Also for Switzerland. After six turbulent years, Thomas Süssli hands over command of the army - and takes stock.
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- Thomas Süssli draws a mixed balance before the end of his term as head of the Swiss Armed Forces.
- Süssli warns urgently of a growing threat from Russia.
- During his time in office, the army made headlines with problems in IT projects and procurement mishaps.
When Thomas Süssli took office as head of the army in January 2020, the world was a different place. Shortly after he took office, the Federal Council ordered the mobilization of 5,000 members of the armed forces for the first time since the Second World War due to Covid-19.
"And one week after the army's last Covid deployment, Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine began," Süssli told media representatives in Bern on Tuesday.
Süssli is stepping down at the end of the year. Last Thursday, he officially handed over the baton to Divisional Commander Benedikt Roos, who will take up his post on January 1.
"Turning point, innovation and transparency"
Time for Süssli to recapitulate the last six years: "I am taking stock in a positive and critical way." For example, he has not succeeded in sufficiently explaining the funding bottleneck and the needs of the armed forces. He sees the initiated cultural change towards greater visibility of the army and self-criticism as positive.
When he took up his post, nobody thought that a conventional war in Europe was possible. Topics such as the distribution of bulletproof vests to members of the armed forces had dominated the discourse in the army. Süssli watched Putin's speech live when he announced the attack on Ukraine in a televised address: "During the subsequent trip to the Federal Palace, it became clear to me that this would also have an impact on Switzerland."
«After Putin's speech, I realized that this would also have an impact on Switzerland»
Head of the army
From then on, the focus was placed on defense. Süssli cites the defense against ballistic missiles, cruise missiles and drones as priorities. The expansion of the digital infrastructure has also gained in importance.
Debacle with IT projects
However, it is precisely these numerous construction sites that have repeatedly made negative headlines for the army in recent years and overshadowed Süssli's time in office. Just under a year ago, the two most important Swiss financial auditors sounded the alarm in quick succession when it came to the army: the parliamentary financial delegation (FinDel) and the Swiss Federal Audit Office.
At the end of 2024, FinDel contacted the then Federal Councillor Viola Amherd: seven army IT projects were in the red. Major delays and billions in losses were imminent.
Süssli had been appointed to head the army as a business IT specialist. It was this expert of all people who seemed to have let the projects slip through his fingers. One of the projects criticized was the New Digitalization Platform (NDP). It is central to the army's defense capability and the new heart of the entire mission-critical digital defense structure. The operating platform was presented to the media on Tuesday and is set to go live in the course of next year.
Shortly before leaving office, Süssli can give the all-clear in this regard: "The situation has eased." According to the Department of Defense (DDPS), five of the seven critical IT projects are back on track.
Failed drone "Helvetization"
Shortly after the FinDel letter, in mid-January, the Swiss Federal Audit Office sharply criticized a 300 million procurement of reconnaissance drones. The "Hermes 900" drone, which had actually been tried and tested, had been "Helvetized": The existing product was to be adapted for Switzerland's special requirements - for example, for use in the mountains.
The result is a fiasco: the project should have been completed in 2019. In July, it became known that the DDPS was considering canceling the procurement. Defense Minister Martin Pfister has since clarified this: The controversial drone project will continue despite delays. However, the aircraft will come in a significantly scaled-down version.
Russian threat
At least the 36 F-35A fighter jets ordered will improve the air force's situation, with the first delivery due to arrive in 2028. This is also necessary, especially as Russia continues to pose a threat to Switzerland, according to Süssli: According to him, the country has switched to a war economy and is producing more material than before 2022.
In Süssli's opinion, there are "more than obvious signs" that Moscow is preparing to escalate the war with the West. From 2028 or 2029, Russia will also be in a position to do so, as conversations with defense ministers and army chiefs from other countries have confirmed.
«Russia is trying to destabilize NATO and divide the West»
Head of the army
It is therefore a realistic scenario that Putin could then give the order to occupy part of a Baltic state, for example. "Russia is trying to destabilize NATO and divide the West. We have not yet realized what the threat situation in Europe really is."
Public perception in Switzerland has fallen asleep when it comes to defense issues. The invasion of Ukraine in 2022 only gave the country a short-term wake-up call.
Süssli warns: "If Ukraine were to fall, there would only be two countries between Switzerland and Russia: Hungary and Austria." Switzerland's status as a neutral state would not be able to protect it.
"Being able to defend so as not to have to"
"The Swiss army cannot defend itself autonomously," says Süssli. The same applies to Europe. Accordingly, so-called interoperability plays an important role. In other words, the introduction of standardized processes that enable cooperation between armies from different countries.
In August, Süssli titled his manifesto on the state of the armed forces "Being able to defend in order not to have to". In order to be able to do this, the army says it needs CHF 40 billion for material and CHF 10 billion for ammunition and spare parts.
On Friday, it became known that Defense Minister Martin Pfister is considering an increase in VAT to speed up the army's rearmament. The financing is likely to continue to be the subject of heated political debate. Thomas Süssli will no longer be involved in these debates: he wants to take an "active break" until March to decide what to do next.
