Defence Minister Viola Amherd and Army Chief Thomas Süssli want to bring Switzerland closer to NATO, reported SRF.

Historically, Switzerland’s interaction with NATO has been limited to peace support operations. In 1996, it started collaborating on the Peace Partnership, and in 1999 Switzerland joined the Kosovo Force led by NATO. Switzerland currently takes part in around seven NATO exercises a year, either actively or as an observer.
So far, Switzerland has never be involved in a defence exercise with NATO.
But since Russia attacked Ukraine in February 2022 the tone has shifted. At a meeting at the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos in May 2022, Swiss Defense Minister Viola Amherd and NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg agreed to work together more closely.
Then in September 2022, the Federal Council talked of options to expand cooperation. In a report it suggested that participation in joint defence exercises could be examined on a case-by-case basis and that earlier self-imposed restrictions could be relaxed.
In March 2023, Amherd was the first member of Switzerland’s Federal Council to attend a NATO meeting in Brussels. Stoltenberg later revealed in an interview that Switzerland had approached NATO with a request to participate in several exercises.
The Federal Council has said it was looking at exercises on a case by case basis and that it would not approve any that put Switzerland’s neutrality at risk.
At the same time NATO is unsure about where Switzerland stands. Switzerland has been unwilling to allow ammunition that it has provided to NATO nations to be used in Ukraine, something NATO is unhappy with.
This week, Switzerland’s parliament had a say. 118 versus 69 members voted in favour of a motion to prevent Switzerland engaging in defence exercises with NATO.
In any case, for Switzerland to participate in defence military exercises with NATO it would first need to make legal changes to allow it. And, there is no guarantee NATO would necessarily agree.
More on this:
SRF article (in German)
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Cornelia Reiwald says
Best decision ever