Pfister addresses Switzerland’s ‘modest’ military spending in Munich

At the 62nd Munich Security Conference, Defence Minister Martin Pfister spoke for the first time about Switzerland’s relatively modest defence spending. + Get the most important news from Switzerland in your inbox Pfister told Swiss public broadcaster SRF on Saturday evening in Munich that Switzerland has come under fire for spending less than 1% of its gross domestic product (GDP) on defence. By comparison, NATO member states have committed to investing around five times that amount – around 5% – when defence is measured in broader terms. Pfister met his counterparts from Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, as well as from Slovenia and Ireland, to outline Switzerland’s defence and security policy, defence ministry spokesperson Renato Kalbermatten told the Keystone‑SDA news agency on Saturday. The discussions also looked at potential areas of cooperation and the option of holding joint exercises. This was the first time that Pfister had attended the high-level international meeting in ...