Published on 25 March 2025

Specialised Office Women in the Armed Forces and Diversity

The Specialised Office WiAD

The Specialised Office for Women in the Armed Forces and Diversity (WiAD) is committed to diversity and inclusion in the Swiss Armed Forces. The specialised office supports efforts to increase the proportion of women and to promote diversity.

WiAD counsels all conscripts and members of staff of the Defence Group (career military personnel, members of the military peace-keeping service, civilian staff) – independent of gender, age, language, origin and ethnicity, religion and worldview, physical and mental conditions or gender identity and sexual orientation.

The Armed Forces command does not tolerate any cases of discrimination, sexism, harassment or other forms of violation of the human dignity. It wants consistent action to be taken against such behaviour and, above all, that people do not turn a blind eye. It commits itself to creating a culture of openness and inclusion within the Armed Forces.

Among other things, WiAD has the mandate:

to further develop the strategy and strategy-based measures to increase mandate-oriented diversity;
to operate a reporting and counselling service for conscripts, career military personnel, civilian staff and members of the military peace-keeping service;
to carry out awareness-raising and training in the area of diversity and inclusion in the Swiss Armed Forces;
to conduct research and to make it applicable to the orientation and development of the strategy as well as to training, operations and administration.

Diversity concepts and characteristics reflect social debates and perspectives at a given time. The aspects of diversity listed above are therefore not exhaustive, but represent the dimensions currently applicable to WiAD.

WiAD offers information, counselling, support and mediation – for general as well as individual, sensitive concerns.

25 March 2025

Reporting and Counselling Service

31 March 2025

Research and basics

25 March 2025

FAQ

Topics

The Specialised Office for Women in the Armed Forces and Diversity (WiAD) addresses a range of topics related to diversity. The topics covered so far are listed below.