In an effort to pressure Switzerland back in September, Bern had suspended payments for the Patriot systems ordered in 2022. However, this move proved ineffective. Since then, the United States has reportedly redirected funds from the money that Switzerland contributed for the F-35 jets, according to SRF.
Urs Loher, head of armaments, confirmed the report to Swiss German Radio Television but stated under U.S. pressure that he can no longer disclose the exact amount involved, though it is estimated in the hundreds of millions range.
As per the investigation, all foreign arms sales by the United States go through the Foreign Military Sales Program (FMS), which consolidates funds for all Swiss military purchases into a single fund managed by Washington. This includes both the 30 F-35 jets and the five Patriot systems. If there’s a shortfall in one project, the U.S. can reallocate funds from other programs to cover it. That is precisely what has occurred.
Loher confirmed that this process is legal and acknowledged that the Federal Department of Defense, Civil Protection and Sports (DDPS) was aware of it. Despite this, making the issue public was not a priority for the department. Nevertheless, Loher described the situation as “very unsatisfactory.”
The redirection of funds adds to the embarrassment for the DDPS, which, according to the Swiss German Radio Television investigation, had already made several tens of millions in advance payments to the U.S. for the long-awaited F-35 jets by year’s end.
Today, new army chief Benedikt Roos, who has been in office for 100 days, stated that significantly more funds are needed than currently available for Switzerland’s security needs.
The delivery of the Patriot systems for long-range air defense was initially scheduled to start in 2027 and finish in 2028. However, deliveries have been delayed by several years as Washington prioritized Ukraine.
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