Report faults foreign policy on military training and armaments

A critical parliamentary report calls on the cabinet to improve how the Swiss cooperate with other nations when it comes to training soldiers and sharing weaponry. The Senate report published on Friday cites a need for greater clarity and transparency in the government’s approach to international cooperation on military training and armaments. Lawmakers requested the report in January 2013 because of the rising number of agreements for the Swiss military to cooperate and train with foreign armies – and because of criticism of some of those agreements, the report notes. It says there are 16 such agreements in the area of military education and another 15 dealing with armaments. For example, they allow the Swiss air force to fly training maneuvers with other nations’ jets or to exchange weapons for clothing. In particular, the report points to the stinging criticism in the news media over the attempted purchase of Swedish Gripen fighter jets for Switzerland’s air ...