Soldiers had to imagine tanks Every fifth army vehicle is out of action

The Swiss army is facing major challenges: A fifth of its vehicles are not operational and there is a shortage of skilled personnel to repair them. The Federal Council has now also realized this.

The Swiss Armed Forces are facing challenges: A large part of its vehicle fleet is not operational. At the end of 2023, all 248 M113 infantry fighting vehicles had to be decommissioned due to a technical defect. This forced the soldiers to only use the tanks in exercises. This is according to "Blick".

The army admitted that operational readiness is currently not guaranteed. To date, only half of the tanks are back in service, and full refitting is not expected until the end of the year.

Of the army's 20,000 or so wheeled vehicles, one in five is in the workshop. The lack of specialist personnel in both the military and civilian sectors is making maintenance more difficult. Various vehicle types such as Leopard tanks and Piranha wheeled infantry fighting vehicles are affected.

The Federal Council explains that maintenance work must be planned according to urgency. This can result in restrictions for the troops. As many vehicles are outdated, the failure rate is increasing. However, exact figures on operational vehicles remain confidential for security reasons.

Challenges on the front line

Erich Muff, President of the Armored Officers' Association, expressed his concern about the situation. He told the newspaper that many systems are being taken out of service due to age or without replacements.

While operations such as the WEF in Davos are not affected, recruit schools have to make do with fewer vehicles. Muff criticized the fact that makeshift solutions are often necessary in peacetime, but these are not always sufficient. The M113 drivers cannot complete any training in the WK as they do not drive a single meter.

Stefan Holenstein, President of the Swiss Association of Military Companies, sees the shortage of specialists as a consequence of the centralization of logistics in the Armed Forces XXI. Many specialists were laid off for economic reasons and are now missing. The army's logistics base is urgently looking for personnel, while at the same time there is a threat of redundancies due to the Federal Council's austerity package. According to Holenstein, this is absurd.

Urgent need for action

Former SVP Federal Councillor Christoph Blocher also criticizes the situation. In his "Teleblocher" program, he reported on a visit to a military camp where not a single tank was available. The soldiers had to practise with cardboard tanks. Blocher called for the vehicles to be brought into shape so that the soldiers are ready for action.

The army plans to hand over 20 percent fewer vehicles to the troops by the end of the year in order to secure resources for emergencies. Piranha, 63 and 2000 infantry fighting vehicles, Leopard tanks, Duro troop transporters and minibuses will be affected.

The Federal Council is aware that the current reserve of 15 percent is not sufficient to carry out maintenance without affecting operational readiness.

SVP National Councillor Stefanie Heimgartner emphasized the need for sufficient financial resources to increase the reserve back to 15 percent. The ageing systems are exacerbating the situation and the troops are increasingly feeling the effects.

The editor wrote this article with the help of AI.