https://feeds.thelocal.com/ Read the latest news and views from Switzerland in English en-us news@thelocal.com (TheLocal) webmaster@thelocal.com (TheLocal) TheLocal RSS Feed Switzerland announced its intention to build a military drone battalion, amid a rearmament trend across Europe. https://www.thelocal.ch/20260828/switzerland-eyes-drone-battalion-by-2028 Fri, 28 Aug 2026 07:57:23 +0200 switzerland-eyes-drone-battalion-by-2028 Switzerland has been neutral for the past 500 years. But that didn’t stop it from “invading” its tiny neighbour three times in the past 41 years. How did this happen? https://www.thelocal.ch/20200228/swiss-history-army-attacked-liechtenstein-three-times-by-mistake Fri, 28 Feb 2020 11:25:27 +0100 swiss-history-army-attacked-liechtenstein-three-times-by-mistake Faced with the deteriorating security situation in Europe, the Swiss army is examining the possibility of reactivating its former military bunkers. https://www.thelocal.ch/20260727/switzerland-considers-reopening-its-old-military-bunkers Mon, 27 Jul 2026 14:57:53 +0200 switzerland-considers-reopening-its-old-military-bunkers Swiss voters have backed imposing stricter rules for claiming conscientious objection to military service. https://www.thelocal.ch/20260615/swiss-voters-back-stricter-rules-for-conscientious-objection Mon, 15 Jun 2026 10:19:16 +0200 swiss-voters-back-stricter-rules-for-conscientious-objection Following a vote in the Swiss National Council, some foreigners in Switzerland could soon be made to take part in civil defence duties in the future. https://www.thelocal.ch/20260612/switzerland-wants-to-make-foreigners-carry-out-civil-defence-duties Fri, 12 Jun 2026 16:43:59 +0200 switzerland-wants-to-make-foreigners-carry-out-civil-defence-duties Switzerland announced Friday it wanted to buy 30 US F-35A fighter jets rather than 36 after Washington hiked the price, and said its broader defence set-up needed repurposing to face current threats. https://www.thelocal.ch/20260307/swiss-eyeing-fewer-f-35-fighters-reshaping-defence-set-up Sat, 07 Mar 2026 13:42:57 +0100 swiss-eyeing-fewer-f-35-fighters-reshaping-defence-set-up European leaders, worried about threats from a nuclear-armed Russia and doubts about the future of US security commitments, are increasingly debating whether to bolster nuclear arsenals on the continent. https://www.thelocal.ch/20260214/merz-says-in-talks-with-macron-on-european-nuclear-deterrence Sat, 14 Feb 2026 09:11:12 +0100 merz-says-in-talks-with-macron-on-european-nuclear-deterrence Switzerland will not be able to purchase all 36 American F-35 fighter jets in the near future as planned due to cost overruns announced by the United States, Bern said on Friday. https://www.thelocal.ch/20251213/cost-overruns-push-swiss-to-buy-fewer-f-35s Sat, 13 Dec 2025 10:03:06 +0100 cost-overruns-push-swiss-to-buy-fewer-f-35s The growing threat from Russia and the risk of renewed conflict in Europe have thrown a spotlight on the continent's varied military service models. https://www.thelocal.ch/20251127/threat-of-war-which-countries-in-europe-have-military-service Thu, 27 Nov 2025 13:37:47 +0100 threat-of-war-which-countries-in-europe-have-military-service A decades-old agreement between Bern and Paris gives dual Swiss-French nationals a ‘way out’ of military service in Switzerland. But this is about to change. https://www.thelocal.ch/20250602/switzerland-to-crack-down-on-dual-nationals-who-skip-military-service Mon, 02 Jun 2025 12:41:13 +0200 switzerland-to-crack-down-on-dual-nationals-who-skip-military-service Drones flying over airports, commercial sites and other sensitive infrastructure in Europe is a growing phenomenon which EU leaders blame on Russia, and preventing the disruption they cause will prove a tough technical challenge, observers say. https://www.thelocal.ch/20251011/how-can-europe-protect-its-skies-against-escalating-drone-menace Sat, 11 Oct 2025 13:22:49 +0200 how-can-europe-protect-its-skies-against-escalating-drone-menace Switzerland's military said Friday it plans to acquire a defence system against "mini-drones", after several European countries recently reported incursions into their airspace, pointing the finger at Russia. https://www.thelocal.ch/20251004/swiss-seek-mini-drone-defence-system Sat, 04 Oct 2025 09:37:56 +0200 swiss-seek-mini-drone-defence-system More than 100 old army fortresses are hidden across Switzerland. But why is the military interested in resurrecting these relics of a long-ago wartime era? https://www.thelocal.ch/20250513/swiss-army-seeks-to-resurrect-once-secret-combat-bunkers Tue, 13 May 2025 18:52:20 +0200 swiss-army-seeks-to-resurrect-once-secret-combat-bunkers Switzerland's army may not be known for a Michelin-style gastronomy, but the soldiers can count on some classic dishes that have made a military history of their own. https://www.thelocal.ch/20250425/what-do-swiss-soldiers-eat-during-their-military-service Fri, 25 Apr 2025 14:09:15 +0200 what-do-swiss-soldiers-eat-during-their-military-service Despite its neutrality, Switzerland needs to get ready for the possibility of Russian ‘invasion,’ a high-ranking American general has warned. https://www.thelocal.ch/20250317/us-general-advises-switzerland-to-prepare-for-war Mon, 17 Mar 2025 17:04:37 +0100 us-general-advises-switzerland-to-prepare-for-war Frightened by the prospect of US security disengagement and three years of Moscow's war against Ukraine, European countries are debating reinstating compulsory military service to boost their defences in the face of Russian aggression. https://www.thelocal.ch/20250316/spurred-by-trump-turnabout-european-nations-debate-conscription Sun, 16 Mar 2025 10:12:09 +0100 spurred-by-trump-turnabout-european-nations-debate-conscription Europe's security is at a turning point, EU chief Ursula von der Leyen said on Monday, as she arrived in Paris for an emergency meeting to address the US's shock policy shift on the war in Ukraine. https://www.thelocal.ch/20250217/europes-security-is-at-a-turning-point-eu-leader-warns Mon, 17 Feb 2025 15:37:24 +0100 europes-security-is-at-a-turning-point-eu-leader-warns Swiss authorities want foreign nationals who live in the country to be well integrated. But does this mean they have to serve in the armed forces? https://www.thelocal.ch/20230504/reader-question-do-foreigners-have-to-do-military-service-in-switzerland Thu, 04 May 2023 17:36:19 +0200 reader-question-do-foreigners-have-to-do-military-service-in-switzerland Switzerland’s military needs to increase its budget to improve its operational capability, and wants foreign men to help bankroll it. https://www.thelocal.ch/20240919/call-in-switzerland-for-foreign-residents-to-help-finance-swiss-army Thu, 19 Sep 2024 12:31:31 +0200 call-in-switzerland-for-foreign-residents-to-help-finance-swiss-army Foreign men in Switzerland who obtained Swiss citizenship in their 30s will have to pay the military exemption tax, the country’s top court has ruled. https://www.thelocal.ch/20240917/naturalised-swiss-citizens-to-pay-army-tax-if-they-skip-military-service Tue, 17 Sep 2024 14:56:03 +0200 naturalised-swiss-citizens-to-pay-army-tax-if-they-skip-military-service