Swiss Armed Forces

Switzerland is procuring five IRIS-T SLM systems for ground-based air defence. These will protect the population from medium-range threats from the air. The procurement is part of the European Sky Shield Initiative (ESSI). The contract for Switzerland has now been signed between the Federal Office of Equipment, Information Technology and In-Service Support of the German Armed Forces and the manufacturer Diehl Defence GmbH & Co. KG, after the Federal Office for Defence Procurement armasuisse gave authorisation to do so.

National Armaments Director Urs Loher travelled to Vienna from 17 to 18 July 2025 to take part in the D-A-CH meetings with the Armaments Directors from Germany and Austria. The main topics of the exchange were ongoing armament procurements and trilateral cooperation.

The United States Department of Defense has informed the DDPS that it will reprioritize the delivery of Patriot systems to support Ukraine, focusing on ground-based air defense. This also affects Switzerland, which will receive its production batches later than planned. The Federal Council has been notified.

Markus Mäder, State Secretary for Security Policy, will hold talks on current security policy developments and bilateral cooperation with his counterparts in Chisinau (Moldova) from 17 to 18 July.

The head of the Federal Department of Defence, Civil Protection and Sport (DDPS), Federal Councillor Martin Pfister, will visit Kosovo and Bosnia and Herzegovina on 7 and 8 July. He will be accompanied by members of the parliamentary Security Policy Committee and by Philippe Müller, a member of the cantonal government and head of the Department of Cantonal Security in the Canton of Bern. The aim of the working visit is to gain an overview of the security situation and Switzerland's role in peacekeeping operations. In addition to visiting Swiss Armed Forces personnel, Federal Councillor Pfister will hold bilateral talks with defence ministers Ejup Maqedonci (Kosovo) and Zukan Helez (Bosnia and Herzegovina) as well as with Christian Schmidt, High Representative for Bosnia and Herzegovina. Mr Pfister will be accompanied by Markus Mäder, State Secretary for Security Policy.