Bern, 2 August 2024
At its meeting on 21 August, the Federal Council approved Switzerland’s participation in two EU Permanent Structured Cooperation (PESCO) projects. The two projects, Military Mobility and Cyber Ranges Federation, offer the opportunity to expand international cooperation between armed forces. This will strengthen Switzerland’s national defence capability. Switzerland’s work on the projects will be carried out in accordance with its neutrality obligations.
PESCO was launched by the Council of the European Union in 2017 to jointly develop defence capabilities and implement armaments projects. It aims to improve the capabilities of armed forces and increase their interoperability. Today, 26 of the 27 EU Member States are involved in more than 60 PESCO projects.
On request, third countries can also participate in projects without joining PESCO. At its meeting on 21 August, the Federal Council approved Switzerland’s participation in the PESCO projects Military Mobility and Cyber Ranges Federation.
Cooperation on military mobility
The Military Mobility project aims to facilitate military mobility on European territory by standardising administrative processes. This means that in the future it will be possible to process and approve applications for cross-border transports and relocations within a few days. 25 EU member states are taking part in this project, which is being coordinated by the Netherlands. Canada, Norway and the United States are participating as third countries.
The simplification of procedures will have a positive impact on Swiss missions abroad, for example in the context of training or military peace support. Participation in the project is neither compulsory nor automatic. Switzerland will continue to review applications on a case-by-case basis.
Cooperation on cyber ranges
The Cyber Ranges Federation project aims to improve international cyber defence cooperation by linking together countries’ cyber ranges to create a more complex and realistic training environment. This will improve the quality of training and interoperability from both a technical and organisational perspective. Linking together cyber ranges will also help advance cyber research and development. Estonia, Belgium, Bulgaria, Finland, France, Italy, Luxembourg and Austria are currently participating in the project. Cyber ranges are simulation environments that are used not only to test technologies, but also to train specialist personnel.
Switzerland will take part in the project via its Cyber Training Range, which will be selectively connected for specific exercises as needed by the Swiss Armed Forces. This will provide specialist personnel with a more diverse virtual training environment, which will ultimately improve Switzerland’s cyber defence capabilities.
Expanding international cooperation
Switzerland’s participation in the Military Mobility and Cyber Ranges Federation projects still has to be submitted for approval to the states involved in the projects and to the Council of the European Union. The modalities of cooperation will be set out in a non-binding Administrative Arrangement which takes into account the constraints imposed by Switzerland’s neutrality obligations. Switzerland will not take part in exercises with states that are at war.
Switzerland’s participation in the two projects is an example of the intensification of security policy cooperation between Switzerland and the EU. This was envisaged by the Federal Council in its 2021 Security Policy Report, the corresponding Supplementary Report that was published in 2022, and the 2024 Report on Strengthening Defence Capabilities and Deepening International Cooperation of the Armed Forces. Switzerland and the EU have been engaged in a high-level Security and Defence Dialogue since 2023.
Source – Federal Council of Switzerland