Switzerland's Military: Can It Handle a Big Attack?

Switzerland's military leader has some tough things to say. He thinks the country isn't ready for a full-blown attack. Thomas Suessli, who's stepping down as the head of Switzerland's armed forces, shared his thoughts in an interview. He said that while Switzerland can handle smaller threats, like cyber attacks or attacks on important buildings, it's not prepared for a large-scale invasion. Suessli pointed out a big problem: only about a third of soldiers have all the equipment they need. This is a serious issue because it means many soldiers wouldn't be fully ready in an emergency. Switzerland is trying to improve its military by spending more money, updating old weapons, and buying new fighter jets. But these plans are facing some challenges, like extra costs and people questioning the spending.One of the biggest issues is that many people in Switzerland don't see the military as a priority. Even with the war in Ukraine and Russia causing trouble in Europe, attitudes haven't changed much. Suessli thinks this is because Switzerland is far from the conflict and hasn't been in a war recently. He also said that some people wrongly believe that being neutral means they won't be attacked. But history shows that neutral countries that aren't armed can still get pulled into wars. Neutrality only works if you can defend it. Switzerland is planning to slowly increase its military spending to about 1% of its GDP by around 2032. Right now, it's at about 0. 7%, which is much lower than the 5% that NATO countries have agreed to. At this slow pace, the Swiss military won't be fully ready until around 2050. Suessli thinks this is too slow given the current threats.