Swiss Army Steps Up Security for Big G7 Meeting Near the Border

When Europe’s top leaders meet in France for the G7 summit in mid-June, Switzerland won’t sit idle nearby. The country plans to send in 4, 000 soldiers to help keep things safe across three cantons close to the action. The main meetings will take place in Evian-les-Bains, a lakeside town just a short drive from Geneva, making this one of the biggest peacetime security operations Switzerland has run in years. The summit brings together presidents and prime ministers from the world’s richest nations, so no surprise that protesters will try to make their voices heard. That’s part of why Swiss leaders decided the army had to help out. Troops won’t be patrolling the streets like in a movie, but they will watch over airports, scan borders, and keep an eye on highways and Switzerland’s side of Lake Geneva. Their job is to step in where civilian police need backup, not to take over the whole job.Air support will get extra attention too. Fighter jets will fly more patrols, restricted zones will block non-essential flights near Evian from June 10 to 19, and the military will set up systems to stop rogue drones or chemical threats. It’s like locking down a small air bubble over the region while the leaders talk business below. Swiss officials admit the whole plan is unusual for a country that keeps its military out of daily life. But the government decided that the risk of chaos—whether from protesters, accidents, or outside interference—is just too high when so many powerful guests are nearby.