Editing Switzerland (section)

=== Military ===
{{Main|Swiss Armed Forces|Pontifical Swiss Guard}}
[[File:Switzerland - Air Force McDonnell Douglas FA-18C Hornet - cropped.jpg|thumb|upright|A Swiss Air Force [[F/A-18 Hornet]] at [[Axalp Air Show]]]]

The [[Swiss Armed Forces]], including the [[Ground Forces|Land Forces]] and the [[Swiss Air Force|Air Force]], are [[Conscription in Switzerland|composed mostly of conscripts]], male citizens aged from 20 to 34 (in exceptional cases up to 50) years. Being a [[landlocked]] country, Switzerland has no navy; however, on lakes bordering neighbouring countries, armed boats patrol. Swiss citizens are prohibited from serving in foreign armies, except for the [[Pontifical Swiss Guard|Swiss Guards]] of the [[Vatican City|Vatican]], or if they are [[dual citizen]]s of a foreign country and reside there.{{citation needed|date=September 2022}}

The Swiss militia system stipulates that soldiers keep their army-issued equipment, including [[Automatic firearm|fully automatic]] personal weapons, at home.<ref>{{Cite web |date=1 March 2009 |title=Volksinitiative "Für den Schutz vor Waffengewalt" Home |url=http://www.schutz-vor-waffengewalt.ch/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090301042301/http://www.schutz-vor-waffengewalt.ch/ |archive-date=1 March 2009 |access-date=8 February 2023}}</ref> Women can serve voluntarily. Men usually receive military conscription orders for training at the age of 18.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Militärdiestpflicht |url=http://www.vtg.admin.ch/internet/vtg/de/home/militaerdienst/rekrut/wehrpflicht.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131213031154/http://www.vtg.admin.ch/internet/vtg/de/home/militaerdienst/rekrut/wehrpflicht.html |archive-date=13 December 2013 |access-date=15 January 2014 |publisher=Swiss Federal Department of Defence, Civil Protection and Sport |language=de, fr, it}}</ref> About two-thirds of young Swiss are found suitable for service; for the others, various forms of alternative service are available.<ref>{{Cite news |date=11 March 2008 |title=Zwei Drittel der Rekruten diensttauglich (Schweiz, NZZ Online) |work=Neue Zürcher Zeitung |agency=Associated Press |url=http://www.nzz.ch/nachrichten/schweiz/zwei_drittel_der_rekruten_diensttauglich_1.687233.html |url-status=live |access-date=23 February 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210304185339/https://www.nzz.ch/zwei_drittel_der_rekruten_diensttauglich-1.687233?reduced=true |archive-date=4 March 2021}}</ref> Annually, approximately 20,000 persons are trained in recruit centres for 18 to 21 weeks. The reform "Army XXI" was adopted by popular vote in 2003, replacing "Army 95", reducing the rolls from 400,000 to about 200,000. Of those, 120,000 are active in periodic Army training, and 80,000 are non-training reserves.<ref>{{Cite web |title=VBS – Die Armee in Zahlen – Truppenbestände |url=http://www.vbs.admin.ch/internet/vbs/de/home/documentation/armeezahlen/eff.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090909112719/http://www.vbs.admin.ch/internet/vbs/de/home/documentation/armeezahlen/eff.html |archive-date=9 September 2009 |access-date=8 February 2023}}</ref>

The newest reform of the military, {{lang|de|Weiterentwicklung der Armee}} (WEA; English: Further development of the Army), started in 2018 and was expected to reduce the number of army personnel to 100,000 by the end of 2022.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Weiterentwicklung der Armee |url=https://www.vtg.admin.ch/de/aktuell/themen/wea.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210420193059/https://www.vtg.admin.ch/de/aktuell/themen/wea.html |archive-date=20 April 2021 |access-date=30 April 2021 |publisher=[[Swiss Armed Forces]] |language=de}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |title=Weiterentwicklung der Armee-FAQ (Politik) |url=https://www.vtg.admin.ch/de/aktuell/themen/wea/faq.html#ui-collapse-252 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230507053620/https://www.vtg.admin.ch/de/aktuell/themen/wea/faq.html#ui-collapse-252 |archive-date=7 May 2023 |access-date=17 April 2023 |website=Schweizer Armee |language=de |format=Click to expand the question 'Wie verändert sich der Sollbestand der Armee?'}}</ref>

[[File:SKdt-Fahrzeug - Schweizer Armee - Steel Parade 2006.jpg|thumb|left|Swiss-built [[Mowag Eagle]]s of the land forces]]
Overall, three general mobilisations have been declared to ensure the integrity and neutrality of Switzerland. The first mobilisation was held in response to the [[Franco-Prussian War]] of 1870–71; while the second was in response to the [[First World War]] outbreak in August 1914; the third mobilisation took place in September 1939 in response to the [[German attack on Poland]].<ref>{{Cite news |date=16 March 2020 |title=Swiss order biggest military mobilization since WWII to fight virus |language=en |work=Reuters |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-swiss-idUSKBN2131D2 |access-date=22 October 2023 |archive-date=27 November 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231127213032/https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-swiss-idUSKBN2131D2/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

Because of its neutrality policy, the Swiss army does not take part in armed conflicts in other countries but joins some peacekeeping missions. Since 2000 the armed force department has maintained the [[Onyx (interception system)|Onyx]] intelligence gathering system to monitor satellite communications.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Chapin |first=Emerson |date=2 September 1990 |title=Edwin Reischauer, Diplomat and Scholar, Dies at 79 |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1990/09/02/obituaries/edwin-reischauer-diplomat-and-scholar-dies-at-79.html |url-status=live |access-date=8 February 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200325053127/https://www.nytimes.com/1990/09/02/obituaries/edwin-reischauer-diplomat-and-scholar-dies-at-79.html |archive-date=25 March 2020 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref>

[[Gun politics in Switzerland]] are unique in Europe in that 2–3.5&nbsp;million guns are in the hands of civilians, giving the nation an estimate of 28–41 guns per 100 people.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Guns in Switzerland – Firearms, gun law and gun control |url=https://www.gunpolicy.org/firearms/region/switzerland |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210424224143/https://www.gunpolicy.org/firearms/region/switzerland |archive-date=24 April 2021 |access-date=30 April 2021 |website=www.gunpolicy.org}}</ref> As per the Small Arms Survey, only 324,484 guns are owned by the military.<ref>{{Cite web |date=June 2018 |title=Global Firearms Holdings Dynamic Map |url=http://www.smallarmssurvey.org/de/weapons-and-markets/tools/global-firearms-holdings.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180710010411/http://www.smallarmssurvey.org/de/weapons-and-markets/tools/global-firearms-holdings.html |archive-date=10 July 2018 |access-date=9 July 2018 |website=smallarmssurvey.org |publisher=Institut de hautes études internationales et du développement |location=Geneva, Switzerland}}</ref> Only 143,372 are in the hands of soldiers.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Die Armee in Zahlen |url=https://www.vbs.admin.ch/de/vbs/zahlen-fakten/armee.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200205163220/https://www.vbs.admin.ch/de/vbs/zahlen-fakten/armee.html |archive-date=5 February 2020 |access-date=30 April 2021 |publisher=The Swiss Federal Council |language=de, fr, it}}</ref> However, ammunition is no longer issued.<ref>{{Cite web |date=21 December 2007 |title=SR 514.101 Verordnung des VBS über die persönliche Ausrüstung der Armeeangehörigen (VPAA-VBS) vom 9. Dezember 2003 (Stand am 1. Januar 2015): Art. 7 Taschenmunition Ziff 1 |url=https://www.admin.ch/opc/de/classified-compilation/20031035/index.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161228221111/https://www.admin.ch/opc/de/classified-compilation/20031035/index.html |archive-date=28 December 2016 |access-date=6 December 2016 |publisher=The Swiss Federal Council |language=de, fr, it}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=27 September 2007 |title=Soldiers can keep guns at home but not ammo |url=http://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/soldiers-can-keep-guns-at-home-but-not-ammo/970614 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161207070323/http://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/soldiers-can-keep-guns-at-home-but-not-ammo/970614 |archive-date=7 December 2016 |access-date=7 December 2016 |website=[[Swissinfo]]}}</ref>