“I’m Switzerland” those famous words we use to get out of having to make a decision! Or have to pick a side between your partner and your mum. You don’t want to upset either one of them (it’s not worth it trust me). Lets talk about the Swiss Military and how the country is prepared for battle.
Switzerland throughout history has opted to stay neutral during conflicts and rightly stay out of everyone else’s business. Hats off to the Swiss it’s the smart move why get involved in other peoples disagreements? So why are we talking about the Swiss Military then?
Well because it is very interesting story. Technically the Swiss do not have an official army; but they are trained and prepared to defend themselves and their country if need be. The whole country is ready for battle; as all men aged 18 and over a required to undergo military training; usually for a period of 6 months – 1 year. Once their training is complete they are allowed to go about their everyday lives; every Swiss home has to be equipped with personal weapons so that they are ready for battle at any time. If you think about it they have one of the largest unofficial armies with most of their population trained soldiers. SMART!!
The Swiss are prepared for anything
The Swiss aim to remain neutral, and they have successfully be so for decades by being prepared! That is the key; the Swiss are smart and understand the world is a volatile place and things can escalate very quickly.
Lines of defense
The first line of defense is the population is trained and ready for battle; the second is being able to cut the country off to stop invaders from getting in. Yes you read right the Swiss have strategies in place; that over 3,000 locations throughout the country; bridges, roads, railroads are all prepared and rigged with explosives. They can be detonated to blow at a moment’s notice to stop an invasion into the country.
The third line of defense is going dark; until 2002 it was mandatory for all homes in Switzerland to have a bomb shelter under the house. This is just in the case of any emergency; the entire population would be able to go underground into the hundreds of bomb shelters; they can basically disappear off the face of the earth. Smaller towns have large underground community shelters ;which are funded by the people under a tax to help support and maintain these shelters. You do not need to pay the tax if you have your own personal shelter at your house.
When travelling through the incredible fairytale land that is Switzerland; be sure to keep an eye out for the camouflages bunkers. They look like mounds or small hills which are dotted around the landscape. The Swiss are the most incredible people; the world has a lot to learn about the Swiss way of life! We hope you found The Swiss Military as interesting as we do, The Red Cross foundation played a huge part in all military history click here for more on The Red Cross.
Check out our Switzerland or Mighty Mountains Switzerland for some other random information.
