Swiss parliament approves CHF3.4 billion defence package

CHF3.4 billion in new defence credits has cleared both chambers of the Swiss parliament, giving the armed forces a broad mandate to advance modernisation projects and continue the procurement of F-35 fighter jets.

The National Council approved the government’s Armed Forces Message without amendment on Tuesday, September 15, following the Council of States. The package allocates around CHF2.4 billion to defence procurement, CHF562 million to military property projects and CHF394 million to the F-35 programme.

The vote settles the immediate parliamentary stage for the credits. It also exposes a sharp disagreement over what Switzerland should fund first. The National Council rejected a proposed CHF500 million increase for air defence munitions by 104 votes to 91, with one abstention.

The decision comes as lawmakers debate the country’s military readiness, procurement capacity and oversight standards. Centre-right parties backed the government’s aircraft programme despite a recent parliamentary finding that the fixed-price agreement repeatedly cited for the F-35 purchase had never existed. The left and centre-left used that finding to challenge confidence in the process.

The F-35 programme received CHF394 million despite a procurement controversy. A majority in the National Council rejected calls to halt or reduce the supplementary credit, arguing that Switzerland has no credible alternative to the new fighter aircraft.

The decision followed a report by the National Council’s Committee on the Examination of Public Accounts. The committee found that the fixed price for the US-made jets, which officials had repeatedly communicated, had never actually existed. Critics described the episode as a “fixed-price fiasco” and said it had damaged public confidence in the purchase.

Defence Minister Martin Pfister addressed the report during the debate for the first time. He said the government would issue a statement “very soon, and not just in December”. Pfister called the report “nuanced, objective and interesting” and said it offered a “good basis for improvements to processes within the defence ministry”.

The report has not changed the parliamentary direction. The approved credit allows the army to continue preparations for the fighter jet procurement while the government works on its response to the oversight findings.

The National Council rejected CHF500 million in additional air defence munitions. The money would have supported ammunition for long and medium-range ground-based air defence systems, along with systems providing indirect fire support at medium range.

The Security Policy Committee had recommended the increase, arguing that Switzerland needed to replenish reserves quickly. The Swiss People’s Party and the Radical-Liberal Party said procurement delays, strong international demand and rising prices made rapid action necessary.

The proposal failed after opposition from the Social Democratic Party, the Centre Party, the Green Party and the Liberal Green Party. Linda De Ventura of the Social Democrats warned against what she called a “rush job”, while the centre-left questioned whether the additional funding had been sufficiently defined.

The vote separates the approved modernisation package from the committee’s larger ammunition plan. Parliament has authorised the government’s existing procurement credits, but it has withheld the extra reserve funding sought by the committee. Further defence requests are expected on the agenda during the winter session, according to the source report.

The vote reveals a political divide over Switzerland’s security priorities. Centre-right lawmakers placed continuity in the fighter jet programme and faster replenishment of ammunition reserves at the centre of their arguments. The Swiss People’s Party and the Radical-Liberal Party supported the additional munitions credit, while the Social Democrats, Centre, Greens and Liberal Greens rejected it.

The split reflects different assessments of risk, timing and public accountability. Supporters of extra ammunition funding pointed to long procurement lead times, international demand and higher costs. Opponents challenged the clarity of the request and resisted approving money they viewed as insufficiently prepared.

The same debate produced different positions on the F-35 credit. Centre-right groups described the aircraft purchase as indispensable. The left cited the oversight report’s findings to question the government’s handling of the procurement, yet the National Council approved the supplementary credit.

Pfister said the report had placed “a heavy strain” on the ministry’s work to build trust. He also appealed to committee members to keep the discussion objective, saying that he sometimes found this lacking.

The army can now move ahead with the approved procurement programme, while trust remains a live political issue. Parliament’s decision authorises the government’s requested credits and gives the armed forces room to advance fighter jet, equipment and property projects.

The package does not close the broader debate over military readiness. The defeated CHF500 million ammunition increase leaves a separate funding request unresolved, particularly for ground-based air defence and medium-range indirect fire support. The government and parliament will also have to address the practical effects of extended procurement timelines and higher prices cited during the debate.

The F-35 programme faces its own next steps. Pfister said the government would respond to the oversight report soon. His comments indicate that the ministry will need to explain how it handled price assurances and how it intends to improve procurement processes.

Further requests are due during the winter session. For Switzerland, the next phase will test whether the political majority that approved the aircraft credit can also agree on ammunition reserves, procurement controls and the pace of military modernisation.