Editing Swiss Armed Forces (section)

==Roles==
The prime role of the Swiss Armed Forces is homeland defence. Switzerland is not part of any multinational war-fighting structure, but selected armed forces members and units do take part in international missions.

===Military and civil defence===

After World War II, Switzerland began building homes with 40&nbsp;cm-thick concrete ceilings that might survive [[firebombing]] of the type that destroyed [[Bombing of Hamburg in World War II|Hamburg]] and [[Bombing of Dresden in World War II|Dresden]]. In the 1960s, construction began on [[fallout shelter|radiation and blast shelters]] that could survive one to three [[bar (unit)|bar]]s (100–300&nbsp;kPa) of pressure from a nuclear explosion.<ref name="mcphee19831107">{{cite news | url=http://archives.newyorker.com/?i=1983-11-07#folio=054 | title=La Place de la Concorde Suisse-II | magazine=The New Yorker | date=7 November 1983 | access-date=22 July 2013 | author=McPhee, John | pages=55 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131109094217/http://archives.newyorker.com/?i=1983-11-07#folio=054 | archive-date=9 November 2013 | url-status=live}}</ref> Building codes require blast shelters, which are said to be able to accommodate 114% of the Swiss population.<ref>{{cite web |title=Bunkers for all |url=http://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/swiss_news/Bunkers_for_all.html?siteSect=201&sid=10906783&rss=true&ty=st |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120912192853/http://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/swiss_news/Bunkers_for_all.html?siteSect=201&sid=10906783&rss=true&ty=st |url-status=dead |archive-date=12 September 2012 |date=3 July 2009 |publisher=[[swissinfo]] |access-date=13 July 2009}}</ref> Small towns have large underground parking garages that can serve as sealed community shelters.{{r|mcphee19831107}} There are also hospitals and command centres in such shelters, aimed at keeping the country running in case of emergencies. Every family or rental agency has to pay a replacement tax to support these shelters, or alternatively own a personal shelter in their place of residence;<ref>Imogen Foulkes. [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/from_our_own_correspondent/6347519.stm Swiss still braced for nuclear war] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070213071207/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/from_our_own_correspondent/6347519.stm |date=13 February 2007}}. BBC News, 10 February 2007.</ref> many private shelters serve as [[wine cellar]]s and closets.{{r|mcphee19831107}}

[[File:Turmkanone-1-fuchsegg.jpg|thumb|Camouflaged cannons and fortifications near [[Furka Pass]] in the Gotthard region]]
Thousands of tunnels, highways, railroads, and bridges are built with [[tank trap]]s and primed with [[demolition]] [[Explosive material|charges]] to be used against invading forces; often, the civilian engineer who designed the bridge also plans the demolition as a military officer. Hidden guns are aimed to prevent enemy forces from attempting to rebuild.{{r|mcphee19831031}} Permanent fortifications were established in the [[Swiss Alps|Alps]], as bases from which to retake the fertile valleys after a potential invasion. They include underground air bases that are adjacent to normal runways; the aircraft, crew and supporting material are housed in the caverns.

However, a significant part of these fortifications was dismantled between the 1980s and during the "Army 95" reformation. The most important fortifications are located at [[Fortress Saint-Maurice|Saint-Maurice]], [[St. Gotthard Pass|Gotthard Pass]] area and [[Sargans]]. The fortification on the west side of the [[Rhône]] at Saint-Maurice has not been used by the army since the beginning of the 1990s. The east side (Savatan) is still in use.

During the Cold War the military expected that any invasion would likely come from the northeast, as the Soviet Union associated the country with NATO despite its stated neutrality.{{r|mcphee19831031}} The Swiss government thought that the aim of an invasion would be to control the economically important transport routes through the [[Swiss Alps]], namely the [[St. Gotthard Pass|Gotthard]], the [[Simplon Pass|Simplon]] and [[Great St. Bernard]] passes, because Switzerland does not possess any significant natural resources.

===Peacekeeping overseas===
[[File:Cougar AS532 T 334 Swiss Air Force Rescue Exercise.jpg|thumb|Cougar AS532 T-334 during a Swiss Air Force rescue exercise]]

Operating from a [[neutral country]], Switzerland's Armed Forces do not take part in armed conflicts in other countries. However, over the years, the Swiss Armed Forces have been part of several peacekeeping missions around the world.

From 1996 to 2001, the Swiss Armed Forces were present in [[Bosnia and Herzegovina]] with headquarters in [[Sarajevo]]. Their mission, as part of the Swiss Peacekeeping Missions, was to provide logistic and medical support to the [[Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe]] (OSCE), protection duties and humanitarian demining. The mission was named SHQSU, standing for Swiss Headquarters Support Unit to BiH. It was composed of 50 to 55 elite Swiss soldiers under contract for six to 12 months. None of the active soldiers were armed during the duration of the mission. The Swiss soldiers were recognised among the other armies present on the field by their distinctive yellow beret. The SHQSU is not the same as the more publicized [[Swisscoy]], which is the Swiss Army Mission to Kosovo.

In its first military deployment since 1815, Switzerland deployed 31 soldiers to Afghanistan in 2003, and two Swiss officers had worked with German troops. Swiss forces were withdrawn in February 2008.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/switzerland-ends-military-mission-in-afghanistan/6457084 | title=Switzerland ends military mission in Afghanistan | date=23 February 2008 }}</ref>

Switzerland is part of the [[Neutral Nations Supervisory Commission]] (NNSC), which was created to monitor the armistice between [[North Korea|North]] and [[South Korea]]. Since the responsibilities of the NNSC have been much reduced over the past few years, only five people are still part of the Swiss delegation, which is located near the [[Korean DMZ]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.vtg.admin.ch/internet/vtg/en/home/themen/einsaetze/peace/korea.html|title=Swiss participation to the mission NNSC in Korea|publisher=Federal Department of Defence, Civil Protection and Sport|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160604050802/http://www.vtg.admin.ch/internet/vtg/en/home/themen/einsaetze/peace/korea.html|archive-date=4 June 2016|url-status=dead|access-date=12 July 2009}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/search/detail/Swiss_keep_watch_over_fragile_peace.html?siteSect=881&sid=1891533&cKey=1053346440000|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241203103811/https://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/search/detail/Swiss_keep_watch_over_fragile_peace.html?siteSect=881&sid=1891533&cKey=1053346440000|url-status=dead|archive-date=3 December 2024|title=Swiss keep watch over fragile peace|date=19 May 2003|publisher=swissinfo|access-date=12 July 2009}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://swissthomas.ch/nnsc-korea-1980-81/ |title=Photogallery: NNSC Korea|publisher=Photogallery Thomas Mäder|access-date=12 July 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090402233514/http://www.swiss-maeder.ch/photo4.htm |archive-date=2 April 2009|url-status=live}}</ref>