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GENEVA (AP) – The Swiss government will increase defense spending to the highest level over the next four years, citing growing global instability, including wars in Ukraine and the Middle East, and the disparities created by Swiss authorities’ use of funds. The plan is to increase the amount by 19%. The peace dividend from the fall of the Berlin Wall decades ago.
Defense Minister presents medium- to long-term forecasts for military spending viola amheldHe, who also holds the rotating Swiss presidency this year, said cost-cutting measures over the past 30 years had “weakened the military” and it would take time to regain ground.
“For the first time, we have shown how the military must evolve over the next 12 years,” Amheld told reporters on Wednesday. He said the weakening of Switzerland’s defense capabilities was “not an accusation, but a fact that can be traced back to the fall of the Berlin Wall.”
The move reflects growing security concerns in the self-proclaimed “neutral” country, which is surrounded by friendly nations in the 27-nation European Union, which does not include Switzerland. In recent years, Swiss authorities have decried growing threats in cyberspace and espionage in the rich Alpine nation.
Many other European countries and NATO members (not including Switzerland) have ramped up military spending in response to Russia’s February 2022 invasion of Ukraine.
The Swiss military plans to raise the cap on defense spending to 25.8 billion Swiss francs ($29.2 billion) from 2025 to 2028, up from 21.7 billion Swiss francs in the previous four years.
The Swiss government plans to use the additional funds to develop and upgrade radar systems, short-range missile defenses, tank fleets, missiles used by ground forces, and cyber defense capabilities.
Rumors of the planned increase come as the government announced a three-year budget deficit of CHF1.4 billion in 2023 and a 1.4% across-the-board spending cut in all other government departments except defence. .
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