Army reforms given green light by parliament

The Swiss army will be reduced in size but will receive more funding in the next four years, the Senate decided on Monday. It followed the House of Representatives in approving a CHF20 billion budget ($20 billion) for the military.  By a vote of 30 to 10, the Senate chose to reduce the number of available troops from 140,000 to 100,000, setting a goal of having a well-trained force that can mobilise quickly. Parliament also prioritised being able to deploy 35,000 troops within 10 days.  Basic training will be reduced to 18 weeks followed by six refresher courses of three weeks each. Currently, basic training generally lasts 21 weeks, with certain roles requiring more or less. The army’s layout will also change, with three airfields, seven training grounds and dozens of firing ranges and other training facilities set to close.  Both the size of the army and the amount of funding were hotly debated in parliament, with parties on the political Left originally seeking ...