"The SWISS REPORT" - Switzerland's Militia Army
THE SWISS REPORT
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A special
study for Western Goals Foundation by General George S. Patton, U.S.A. (Ret.)
and General Lewis W. Walt, U.S.M.C. (Ret.)
Switzerland lies landlocked
in Western Europe, ... Even Adolph Hitler's Wehrmacht, which
conquered all of Europe in the early months of World War
II, chose not to attack Switzerland despite the fact that the small country was
in the crossroads of Western Europe.
Switzerland is, of course, neutral, but it was not mere
respect for its neutrality which
kept the Nazi armies and others before it out of the tiny
country. It was the determination
of the Swiss people to defend their neutrality and the
credibility of their means to do so.
That determination remains alive today ... Within 48
hours, the Swiss can field an army of
more than 600,00 men ... War supplies, medical supplies
and food supplies are meticulously stored in more than 100 kilometers of tunnels
... obstacles ... barriers ...demolition devices ... In short, Switzerland is an
armed bunker. Yet, there is _no_ standing
Army, no ... enormous drain on the Swiss economy ... How
the Swiss have achieved this
credible deterrent to invasion is the subject of this
report. The Swiss security system is
unique as well as an example of what a democratic nation
can accomplish by applying reason and logic to problems which have been
realistically and carefully analyzed.
Niccolo Machiavelli, the 15th century Italian student of
power, remarked of the Swiss,
"They are the most armed -- and most free people in
Europe." ... Today Switzerland maintains its neutrality, but practices what it
calls solidarity ...
SWISS STRATEGIC
THINKING
"Historical experience shows that if a nation is not able
to defend itself and to protect its spiritual and material values, it will
become, sooner or later, the target of power politics and force. ... The words,
"credible", "respect", "realistic", and "planning" occur over and over in Swiss
defense documents and briefings. ... The objectives of the security policy are
set forth as follows: (1) preservation of peace in independence; (2)
preservation of freedom of action; (3) protection of the population; and (4)
defense of the territory. ...
THE MILITIA SYSTEM
... The Swiss have no illusions about their ability to
defeat a major military power. They could not have defeated the Nazi army which
for a time considered invading Switzerland.
They mobilized, however, and made it clear beyond a
shadow of a doubt that if the Nazi army invaded, it would be fiercely resisted
and that the tunnels and passes into Italy would be destroyed. In a classic
example of dissuasion at work, Hitler's general staff recommended
against an invasion on the grounds that the costs would
be disproportionate to the gains.
The Swiss military forces are composed almost entirely of
the militia. ... The Swiss militia system is unique and is not comparable to the
present Reserve and Guard forces in the United States. The basis for
conscription is the constitution, which mandates military service for every
Swiss male from age 20 to 50 (55 in the case of officers). There are no
exceptions. Conscientious objectors are given a choice between Army non-combat
units
and jail. Those physically unfit for military duty but
employable are required to pay a tax. Women are not included in the compulsory
military service system, but small numbers of them are accepted on a volunteer
basis for non-combatant positions.
The universality of the Swiss system provides several
advantages. It is fair and therefore
enjoys popular support. ...
A second advantage is that the Swiss Army does not have
to operate a vocational school
system, training unqualified people in special skills
which they take, as soon as their enlistment is completed, into the civilian
market. ...
A third advantage is that every male, age 20 to 50, who
is an elected official or civil servant in the government at all levels is also
a member of the Swiss Army. ...
A fourth advantage is that Switzerland does not have a
high proportion of defense dollars
going to personnel costs. ...
At the age of 19, young men are given physical and mental
tests in preparation for military service. ... At age 20, recruits report for 17
weeks of training. ... At the end of the training cycle, the recruit, now a
member of a militia unit with which he will stay in most cases for the duration
of his obligation, returns home. He carries with him his rifle, an allotment of
ammunition, uniforms, military pack, and CBR mask. He is responsible for the
maintenance of this equipment and is inspected annually. Once a year he is also
required to qualify with his personal weapon on a rifle range or face an
additional three days of training. Once a year, he will report for three weeks
of military training in a rugged field exercise set up as a problem the type of
which his particular unit would face.
... The Swiss Army is organized into four Army Corps. ...
The Swiss logistics system is a work of genius and is tailored to the
requirements of ... These underground facilities not only contain stores of
ammunition and other war supplies but also ... They also practice the principle
of commonality so that military, civil defense, and police equipment are the
same. ...
MILITARY DOCTRINE
Once mobilized, the Swiss Army would fight as a
conventional force. Swiss military doctrine calls for meeting the aggressor at
the borders and waging total war. ... The Swiss
terrain -- ... This combination of powerful resistance by
conventional forces, continued resistance by guerrillas, and ...
The armed population is no bluff. Swiss militiamen are
not required to turn in their weapons upon completion of their obligation. It is
said that every Swiss home contains at least three weapons, ...
THE TERRITORIAL
SERVICE
A unique component of the Swiss Army is the Territorial
Service. ...
CIVIL DEFENSE
Some critics of the Swiss system have expressed the
belief that the possession of nuclear
weapons has made the strategy of dissuasion obsolete.
These are, to be sure, those critics
who view nuclear war as an offense for which there is no
defense. The Swiss do not agree.
Recalling on of their strategic objectives as protection
of the civilian population, the Swiss government has realistically assessed that
objective in light of nuclear, chemical, and biological warfare. Their answer
was to embark on an extensive civil defense program
...
Private shelters ... Public shelters are equipped with
... The Swiss have spent, since 1970, 5 billion Swiss francs on civil defense
and are currently spending at the rate of 210 million Swiss francs annually. ...
Public support for civil defense is widespread. ...
SUMMARY
Switzerland, a small country with limited resources, has
conceptualized, planned, and implemented a rational security policy which
provides maximum effect with minimum
expenditures. ...To a remarkable degree, the Swiss
require private sector participation in the defense effort. ... The Swiss
General Defense system provides a high dissuasive value and credibility to this
small, neutral country in the heart of Europe. ... Thanks to Civil Defense as
well as intricate economic preparedness, there is a high degree of survivability
even in a modern war of long duration. ...
On peace... "To be prepared for war is one of the most
effective means of preserving peace." -- George Washington in his first annual
address to Congress on January 8, 1790 On war... "War is an ugly thing but not
the ugliest thing. The decayed and degraded state of moral and patriotic feeling
which thinks nothing is worth a war is worse. A man who has nothing which he
cares about more than his personal safety is a miserable creature who has no
chance of being free unless made and kept so by the exertions of better men than
himself." -- John Stuart Mill (1806-1873) ining unqualified people in special
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THE SWISS
REPORT
A special
study for Western Goals Foundation by General George S. Patton, U.S.A. (Ret.)
and General Lewis W. Walt, U.S.M.C. (Ret.)
Copyright © 1983 Western Goals
================= W E S T E R N G O A L S =================
309-A Cameron Street, Alexandria, Virginia 22314 (703)
549-6688
Congressman Lawrence P. McDonald, Chairman
LETTER FROM
THE CHAIRMAN
March 1983
Dear Reader:
In the contemporary arena of political chicanery, reality
counts for little and illusion
is frequently king, but in the struggle for the survival
of Western Civilization, it will
be the real world, not illusions or delusions, that will
determine which way the future
will go. This basic truth is especially the case in areas
of national defense. Politicians
may play politics as usual right up to the time of actual
conflict; after that point, only
the mislabeled fool or dedicated traitor would continue
the deception.
National defense matters present many real problems at
both the policymaking and
electorate levels. One such case may be found in the
question of a draft as a means of
supplying the necessary military manpower. A military
service draft causes apprehension to
eligible teenage males, and this is especially the case
when the inequitable draft of the
Vietnam War era is remembered.
The all-volunteer military force is an alternative to a
draft, but it is an expensive way
to go as illustrated by the fact that approximately 60
percent of the defense dollar goes
to personnel and personnel related costs (by way of
comparison, in the Soviet Union the
comparable figure is 22 percent, thus leaving the lion's
share for weapons development and
production). Too, historically, there are serious
questions as to whether a paycheck is an
adequate substitute for patriotic fervor.
While Americans wrestle with the defense matters of
growing costs, manpower needs,
volunteerism vs. the draft, and even the matter of a
national will, it is refreshing to
note that there is one country that has adopted a formula
that has resolved those same
vexations. That country is Switzerland, and amazingly,
the Swiss have successfully applied
this national defense formula for centuries without the
problems of popular division. To
the contrary, the Swiss concept has promoted unity among
the people of that small but
mature nation.
The people of Switzerland are to be envied for their many
achievements, and the policy
achievement of a plan for armed neutrality could be a
model either in whole or in part for
those seeking a rational approach to survival problems.
The concept of armed neutrality was a policy favored by
our Founding Fathers but the
warnings and advice of Founding Father George Washington
has been lost to Twentieth
Century Americans. Perhaps even at this late date, we
could find many answers to our
current problems by observing the Swiss way of a total
defense concept.
Sincerely,
Lawrence P. McDonald
Chairman and President
"...to
rebuild and strengthen the political, economic, and social
structure of the United States and Western Civilization
so as to make
any merger with totalitarians impossible." -- WESTERN
GOALS
American Reformation Ministries / Keltic Klan Kirk
PASTOR JOE JOHNSON P.O. BOX 1166 MALVERN, ARKANSAS 72104