"Swiss Army" redirects here. For the multi-function pocket knife, see Swiss Army knife. Military of Switzerland Service branches Land Forces, Air Force Leadership General Vacant in peacetime Minister of Defense Swiss Federal Councilor Ueli Maurer Chief of the Armed Lt Gen André Blattmann Forces Manpower Military age 19 years of age for male compulsory military service; 18 years of age for voluntary male and female military service; Conscription 19–34 years of age obligatorily 36 for subaltern officers, 52 for staff officers and higher Available for 1,852,580 males, age 16–49 military service (2009 est.), 1,807,667 females, age 16–49 (2009 est.) Fit for 1,510,259 males, age 16–49 military service (2009 est.), 1,475,993 females, age 16–49 (2009 est.) Reaching military 48,076 males (2009 est.), age annually 44,049 females (2009 est.) Active personnel 147,075 (2013)[1] (ranked 38th) Reserve personnel 77,000 [2] Expenditures Budget CHF4.53 billion (~US$4.83 billionFY12)[3] Percent of GDP 0.76% (2012)[4] The Swiss Armed Forces (German: Schweizer Armee, French: Armée suisse, Italian: Esercito svizzero, Romanisch: Armada svizra)operate on land, in the air, and in international waters. Under the country's militia system, professional soldiers constitute about 5 percent[citation needed] of the military and the the rest are conscripts or volunteers aged 19 to 34 (in some cases up to 50). Because of Switzerland's long history of neutrality, the army does not take part in armed conflicts in other countries, but it does participate ininternational peacekeeping missions. The structure of the Swiss militia system stipulates that the soldiers keep their own personal equipment, including all personally assigned weapons, at home (until 2007 this also included ammunition[5]). Compulsory military service concerns all male Swiss citizens, with women serving voluntarily. Males usually receive initial orders at the age of 18 for military conscription eligibility screening. About two-thirds of young Swiss men are found suitable for service, while alternative service exists for those found unsuitable.[6] Annually, approximately 20,000 persons are trained in basic training for a duration from 18 to 21 weeks (increased from 15 weeks, in 2003). The reform "Army XXI" was adopted by popular vote in 2003. It replaced the previous model "Army 95", reducing manpower from 400,000 to about 200,000 personnel, 120,000 receiving periodic military training and 80,000 reservists who have completed their total military training requirements.[7] Contents [hide] 1 History 2 Structure 3 High Command 4 Land Forces o 4.1 The Formations of the Land Forces 5 Air Force 6 Intelligence gathering 7 Lakes flotilla 8 Conscription 9 Roles 10 Peacekeeping Overseas 11 Military and civil defence 12 Equipment 13 Small arms o 13.1 Individual weapons o 13.2 Crew served weapons o 13.3 Other weapons 14 Armoured Fighting Vehicles (AFV) 15 Swiss Army tanks 16 Swiss Army light armored vehicles 17 See also 18 Notes and references 19 Bibliography 20 External links History[edit] Main article: Military history of Switzerland The Battle of Sempach, 1386 The Swiss army originated from the cantonal troops of the Old Swiss Confederacy, called upon in cases of external threats by the Tagsatzung or by the canton in distress. In the federal treaty of 1815, the Tagsatzung prescribed cantonal troops to put a contingent of 2% of the population of each canton at the federation's disposition, amounting to a force of some 33,000 men. The cantonal armies were converted into the federal army (Bundesheer) with the constitution of 1848. From this time, it was illegal for the individual cantons to declare war or to sign capitulations or peace agreements. Paragraph 13 explicitly prohibited the federation from sustaining a standing army, and the cantons were allowed a maximum standing force of 300 each (not including the Landjäger corps, a kind of police force). Paragraph 18 declared the "obligation" of every Swiss citizen to serve in the federal army if conscripted (Wehrpflicht), setting its size at 3% of the population plus a reserve of one and one half that number, amounting to a total force of some 80,000. A Swiss Army exercise in 1896, painting by Joseph Clemens Kaufmann The first complete mobilization, under the command of Hans Herzog, was triggered by the Franco- Prussian War in 1871. In 1875, the army was called in to crush a strike of workers at the Gotthard tunnel. Four workers were killed and 13 were severely wounded. Paragraph 19 of the revised constitution of 1874 extended the definition of the federal army to every able-bodied male citizen, swelling the size of the army (at least in theory) from under 150,000 to more than 700,000, with population growth during the 20th century rising further to some 1.5 million, the second largest armed force per capita after the Israeli Defence Forces. A major manoeuvre commanded in 1912 by Ulrich Wille, a reputed Germanophile, convinced visiting European heads of state, in particular Kaiser Wilhelm II, of the efficacy and determination of Swiss defences.[8] Wille was subsequently put in command of the second complete mobilization in 1914, and Switzerland escaped invasion in the course of World War I. Wille also ordered the suppression of the 1918 general strike (Landesstreik) with military force. Three workers were killed, and a rather larger number of soldiers died of the Spanish flu during mobilization. In 1932, the army was called to suppress an anti-fascist demonstration in Geneva. The troops shot dead 13 demonstrators, wounding another 65. This incident long damaged the army's reputation, leading to persistent calls for its abolition among left-wing politicians. In both the 1918 and the 1932 incidents, the troops deployed were consciously selected from rural regions such as the Berner Oberland, fanning the enmity between the traditionally conservative rural population and the urban working class. The third complete mobilization of the army took place during World War II under the command of Henri Guisan (see also Switzerland during the World Wars). The Patrouille des Glaciers race, created to test the abilities of soldiers, was created during the war. Veterans' traditional Cavalry squadron 2006 presenting the uniform of 1972 In the 1960s and 1970s, the armed forces were organised according to the "Armee 61" structure. Since 1989, there have been several attempts to curb military activity or even abolish the armed forces altogether. A notable referendum on the subject was held on 26 November 1989 and, although defeated, did see a significant percentage of the voters in favour of such an initiative.[9]However, a similar referendum, called for before, but held shortly after the September 11 attacks in 2001 in the US, was defeated by over 77% of voters.[10] In 1989, the status of the army as a national icon was shaken by a popular initiative aiming at its complete dissolution (see: Group for a Switzerland without an Army) receiving 35.6% support. This triggered a series of reforms and, in 1995, the number of troops was reduced to 400,000 ("Armee 95"). Article 58.1 of the 1999 constitution repeats that the army is "in principle" organized as a militia, implicitly allowing a small number of professional soldiers. A second initiative aimed at the army's dissolution in late 2001 received a mere 21.9% support.[10] Nevertheless, the army was shrunk again in 2004, to 220,000 men ("Armee XXI"), including the reserves. Structure[edit] Further information: Military ranks of the Swiss Armed Forces 2nd Infantry + 10th Mountain 5th Infantry 7th Infantry + 11th Armored 9th Mountain 12th Mountain 1st Armored Swiss Army brigades Source:http://www.vtg.admin.ch/internet/vtg/de/home.html Sion Dübendorf Alpnach Locarno Emmen Payerne Meiringen Swiss Air Force airbases The armed forces consist of 134,886 people on active duty (in Switzerland called Angehöriger der Armee, shortly AdA, engl.: Member of the Army), of which 4,230 are professionals, with the rest being conscripts or volunteers.[11] Women, for whom military service is voluntary, numbered 1,050: less than 1% of the total, but 25% of career soldiers.[11] Once decided to serve, they have the same rights and duties as their male colleagues, and they can join all services, including combat units. Recruits are generally instructed in their native language; however, the small number of Romansh- speaking recruits are instructed in German. In contrast to most other comparable armies, officer candidates are usually not career regulars: after seven weeks of basic training, selected recruits are offered the possibility of a cadre function. Officer candidate schools take place separately from NCOs training, but NCOs have the possibility of becoming officers later on.[12] There are currently 17,506 officers and 22,650 NCOs in the Swiss Armed Forces.[11] Those of higher rank serve for more time each year; an ordinary soldier may serve 365 days over 30 years, while a high-ranking officer may serve 2,000 before retiring. Each promotion requires more time, which is known as "paying your grade". Companies subsidize military training by continuing to pay their employees, who list their ranks and responsibilities on their résumés.[13] Structure of the Swiss Army XXI High Command[edit] André Blattmann, current (2009) chief of the Armed Forces In peacetime, the armed forces are led by the Chief of the Armed Forces (Chef der Armee), who reports to the head of the Federal Department of Defence, Civil Protection and Sports and to the Swiss Federal Council as a whole. The current Chief of the Armed Forces is Lieutenant- General (Korpskommandant)André Blattmann. Lt-Gen Blattmann replaced Lieutenant-General (Korpskommandant) Roland Nef who resigned on 25 July 2008 following allegations ofsexual harassment.[14] In times of crisis or war, the Federal Assembly elects a full General (OF-9) as Commander-in- Chief of the Armed Forces (Oberbefehlshaber der Armee).