On Wednesday, 5 August, a Hermes 900 HFE drone intended for the Swiss Armed Forces crashed in the desert over Israeli territory during a test flight. The cause of the accident is as yet unknown and is the subject of ongoing investigations.
In collaboration with the Swiss Air Force, RUAG has begun working on the construction of a new location on Payerne’s military airfield. In doing so, RUAG creates 12 new jobs in the region.
The Federal Council plans to continue the Swiss Armed Forces deployment as part of the multinational Kosovo Force (KFOR) and increase the maximum numbers of the Swisscoy contingent from 165 to 195 military personnel. This will allow the armed forces to meet KFOR’s additional needs.
The Federal Intelligence Service assesses Switzerland’s threat situation in its entirety. With its operational and preventive performances it directly helps to protect Switzerland.
The mission of the Armed Forces includes area security and defence, subsidiary operations to prevent and overcome mortal dangers as well as contributions to peace promotion within an international framework.
The Federal Office for Procurement (armasuisse) is responsible for the research, development, evaluation, procurement, maintenance and liquidation of equipment and infrastructure for the armed forces and other customers.
In 2018, the Federal Assembly elected Viola Amherd to the Federal Council. She took over as head of the Federal Department of Defence, Civil Protection and Sport on 1 January 2019.
The Federal Office of Topography (swisstopo) is the centre of competence for the Swiss Confederation responsible for geographical reference data, for instance the description, representation and archiving of geographic spatial data.
The Federal Office for Civil Protection coordinates the protection of the Swiss population against disasters and emergencies. It also plans the development of the civil protection and the civil defence organisations.
The Federal Office for Sport is the state centre of expertise for sport. It fulfils the tasks arising from the government's promotion of gymnastics and sport, such as training, instruction, research and associated services.
