147,000 people Number of members of the armed forces falls
According to the latest census, the Swiss army is 147,000 strong. Although this is fewer members of the armed forces than last time, the future upper limit will still be exceeded by 5 percent.
08.11.2024, 13:35
08.11.2024, 14:35
SDA
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- On March 1, 2024, the Swiss Armed Forces had 147,000 members, 204 fewer than in 2023.
- 70.9 percent still have to perform training service.
- The set upper limit, which is to be reached by 2030, is 140,000.
As at the cut-off date of March 1, 2024, the Swiss Armed Forces had an effective headcount of around 147,000. This means that the upper limit of 140,000 people set out in the Armed Forces Organization will be exceeded by 5 percent.
The 147,000 members of the armed forces are divided into around 104,200 people who still have to perform training service (70.9 percent) and around 42,800 people who have already completed their training service obligation (29.1 percent). Compared to 2023, the actual number has decreased by 204 people, as the Department of Defense, Civil Protection and Sport (DDPS) announced today.
The decrease can be explained by the fact that the duration of deployment was shortened to ten years with the further development of the armed forces in 2018. However, in order to secure stocks during the transition phase, soldiers and non-commissioned officers who completed their recruit school before 2018 will remain in the army for twelve years, according to the DDPS.
DDPS sees operational readiness at risk
After the last two cohorts with twelve years of compulsory military service have been discharged from the army towards the end of the decade, the effective number of soldiers will fall to less than 140,000 by 2030, according to the DDPS.
The reason for this is that the army is already losing over 11,000 members per year who leave before completing their compulsory military service. While those leaving for medical and other reasons have remained stable, those leaving for civilian service, which currently account for more than sixty percent, have increased.
The DDPS believes that these departures will jeopardize the army's funding and operational readiness in the medium term. It is therefore currently examining two alternative compulsory service models in collaboration with the Federal Department of Economic Affairs, Education and Research (EAER) to ensure the long-term availability of the army and civil defense.
Gsoa speaks of "calculation tricks"
The Group for a Switzerland without an Army (Gsoa) questions the need to examine alternative compulsory service models, as well as the figures presented by the DDPS on the number of soldiers. The army does not have an alimentation problem, on the contrary: it is illegally too large. Instead of finally creating transparency, the army is using "calculation tricks" to weaken the civilian service.
The Gsoa also writes in a statement that the DDPS did not publish an army count last year after announcing the illegally high surplus and made various corrections in the count for last year and this year in order to downplay the number.
While members of the armed forces in the year of their discharge were still included in the DDPS count in 2022, they would no longer be included today. With them, the effective numbers of the last two years would be significantly higher. In addition, the DDPS uses extremely conservative figures in its forecasts for the further development of the army's numbers. At the same time, the fitness rate is higher than it has been for twenty years.
The Federal Council and Parliament want to secure the existing forces
However, the Gsoa's position means that it is relatively hopeless. Parliament and the Federal Council recently decided to take various measures to stabilize the army's numbers. On the one hand, the government wants to allow the army's effective numbers to exceed the specified upper limit for a certain period of time. This is in view of the geopolitical situation.
Secondly, the Federal Council wants to reduce admissions to civilian service, for which it made various implementation proposals at the beginning of March this year. A corresponding motion by the SVP parliamentary group entitled "Strengthening the army by means of measures for civilian service" was adopted by the National Council and the Council of States in the autumn 2022 and spring 2023 sessions respectively.
