In mid-January Viola Amherd, Switzerland’s army and defence minister, announced her resignation from the Federal Council, effective at the end of March 2025. This week, it was reported that the heads of both the Swiss military and federal intelligence agencies resigned, reported RTS.
Head of the Swiss military, Thomas Süssli, resigned at the end of January, according to the newspaper NZZ, but will remain in his post until the end of the year. Christian Dussey, head of Switzerland’s Federal Intelligence Service handed in his resignation several days later, according to the NZZ. Dussey is set to hand over his duties at the end of March 2026.
The quick succession of resignations in same department has led some to wonder what might be going on behind the scenes. The defence department has going through a challenging period. Some politicians have been pushing for significant increases to defence spending, while others have been critical of providing further funding at a time when the federal budget is strained. In addition, the military is struggling to recruit sufficient personnel and a report published late last year revealed widespread discrimination and abuse in the military.
Federal parliamentarian Pierre-Alain Fridez told RTS he thinks these resignations might be a sign of a bigger problem. He would like to know a little more, as based on what has been announced he sees no reason for the resignations.
Thomas Süssli became head of the military in 2020 and Christian Dussey took up his role in 2022. During a press conference, Dussey spoke of the stress of his job during war. He said his last three years were equivalent to six.
Viola Amherd, the departing defence minister said she saw nothing suspicious in the resignations of Süssli and Dussey.
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RTS article (in French) – Take a 5 minute French test now
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