The Swiss army renounces elegance to buy weapons

Tourists walking around Switzerland are sometimes surprised to see soldiers in camouflage uniforms on trains or in restaurants. This kind of scene risks becoming even more frequent, since the Swiss army sees the future almost exclusively in combat gear.

At the start of the year, we often make good resolutions. For the army, this is obviously about saving money. This is how on Tuesday January 7, a press releaseExternal link announced that the Defense Group has decided to no longer distribute exit uniforms to all troops.

“For economic reasons, the Swiss Army’s exit uniform will now only be provided for representation purposes,” the press release specifies. This outfit will be given to around 1,500 people per year, compared to around 20,000 today. These “ends of performances” concern, for example, military music or officer orders.

Produced in Asia and Eastern Europe, the outing outfits cost around 330 francs each. Distributing them to all recruits generates annual expenses of around 5.2 million francs. “If only people who assume representation tasks are equipped, 55 million can be saved by 2035,” the press release specifies.

The decision was immediately implemented. No outing uniforms were issued during winter recruit school, which began earlier this week.

No more exit uniforms distributed at the recruit school, as shown in the RTS Téléjournal on Monday January 13:

As for the exit outfits currently in the possession of soldiers, they must be returned at the latest at the end of their military service. They will be stored for later use or destroyed.

Camouflage that has become omnipresent

In the past, a single uniform was generally worn for all circumstances. But the use of weapons that shoot farther, faster and more precisely has had a profound influence on the evolution of uniforms.

The first evolution was the abandonment of shimmering colors, which made it possible to be recognized from afar. It was now necessary to be discreet to escape enemy fire. The uniforms have thus become duller, with grey-green, khaki, olive, or horizon blue hues. The Swiss army followed suit during World War I, switching from dark blue to gray-green.

The Second World War caused another development with the increasingly frequent use of camouflage clothing to blend in with the surrounding terrain. The Swiss army converted to this new fashion with the adoption of a first camouflaged outfit in 1957.

Normally, the camouflage uniform is used for entry into duty and the duty itself, while the exit uniform is used for periods of leave and relaxation.

Tastes and colors…

But in reality, the exit uniform is used less and less, particularly in the context of rehearsal courses. The idea of ​​its removal had been in the air for some time now and the decision taken at the beginning of January does not come as a complete surprise.

Which do you find the most elegant?

Swiss army

Even expected, this abandonment is talked about in a country where a good part of the population – male at least – serves or has one day served under the flags. The opinions expressed are contrasting. In the media, several comments do not regret this outfit considered in particular “ugly”, “poorly cut” and “not practical”. Other comments, on the other hand, have a more nostalgic tone and do not hesitate to joke about “end-of-the-candle savings”.

Opinions are also divided among army executives. “I think this is good news,” said Guillaume Genoud, president of the Military Societies of the canton of Geneva on RTS. This is money that can be used for more urgent expenses in the context of the current threat context. This outfit was worn less and less; the average soldier will be happy to get rid of them.”

However, in private discussions, the tone is sometimes also more critical. “It’s a shame, a different outfit makes it possible to immediately determine whether a soldier is on leave or on duty,” an infantry captain told me, for example.

“For the benefit of defense”

Generally speaking, the army’s budget is on the rise. In September, Parliament increased it by 4 billion francs for the period 2025-2028, for a total of 29.8 billion. This will allow the military budget to reach 1% of GDP by 2030 and not by 2035, as initially planned.

Despite these additional funds, the army wants to save money. At the same time as the abolition of exit uniforms, it announced a saving of 210 million francs in personnel costs – without layoffs – by 2030. And in November, the Air Force had already indicatedExternal link reduce their demonstration commitments, in order to contribute to the Defense Group’s savings measuresExternal link.

A package of savings measures in a rising budget context may seem strange. But this is explained by the security situation in Europe. “The resources released will be allocated to equipping the army, thereby strengthening defense capacity,” explains the Defense Group in its press release.

The intention is laudable, but it remains to be seen whether the money is still well invested. Coincidentally, it was also at the beginning of January that an SRF investigation revealed that new reconnaissance drones purchased in Israel and which were to be put into service in 2019 remained grounded due to a technical defect. Only four of the six ordered have been delivered and they should only be operational in 2029 at best.

The drone problem reported in the RTS Téléjournal on January 5:

This purchase represents an amount of 300 million francs, the equivalent of more than 900,000 going-out outfits.

Text reread and verified by Samuel Jaberg