Switzerland could force women into military service

Due to an apprehended decline in its numbers by the end of the decade, the Swiss army could make military service compulsory for women, as is already the case for men.

Andre Duchesne
The Press

The idea is put forward in an interim report by the Federal Council of Switzerland, an executive body made up of seven members, made public on October 13. Final proposals will be submitted in the summer of 2023 by the Federal Department of Defence, Civil Protection and Sports, an official document says.

According to the Swiss government’s analysis, the army currently has 151,299 soldiers, which meets the objectives of a “real strength” of 140,000 soldiers required. But on the 2030 horizon, we fear a fall below this bar.

Two phenomena explain the anticipated decrease. First, some 10,000 soldiers leave the ranks each year before the scheduled date, for medical reasons or to join civil protection. Also, the obligation to serve has been reduced from 12 to 10 years for all age groups, which means more annual departures.

Currently, few countries have compulsory military service for women. This is the case in Norway, Sweden and Israel, among others.

Whether for men or women, the idea of ​​compulsory service has recently come to the surface, observes Stefanie von Hlatky, associate professor of political science at Queen’s University, Kingston, and holder of the of Canada on Gender, Security and the Armed Forces.

“We saw a decline in compulsory service after the end of the Cold War. But recently, especially after Russia’s invasion of Crimea [2014]some countries have asked themselves the question again,” she says.

In Sweden, the return of compulsory service, including women, has been less controversial than one might think, believes M^me von Hlatky. “Because it gave rise to a debate about fairness,” she continues. We saw it as a step, a reflection on values. »

Change the culture

Charlotte Duval-Lantoine, director of operations and fellow at the Canadian Global Affairs Institute (Ottawa office), says she is “very ambivalent” about the imposition of military service for women, citing Israel and Norway .

According to her, it is important to further refine the integration measures. “All policies focus on the strengths and limitations of both the male body and mind,” she says. Women are expected to operate at the same level when it is well known that physiologically, biologically and socially they are different. »

An opinion shared by Jennifer Mathers, lecturer in the department of international politics at Aberystwyth University, Wales.

M^me Mathers also believes that women in the military go into similar occupations outside the ranks. “They go to health care, logistics, pastoral work,” she says. Sectors that echo those where women are concentrated in the civil sphere and also at home: bringing children to school, organizing purchases, paying bills. »

A very low proportion

In Switzerland, women have been in the army for 80 years. They have had full military status since 1995.

“The same services exist for all soldiers, without differentiation between the sexes, and the recruit schools and the units are mixed, writes Daniel Reist, spokesperson for the Swiss army. In addition to the same length of service and the same instruction, women have also received the same personal weapon as men since 2004 and have since been able to take part in engagements abroad. »

On the other hand, they form only 1.4% of the troops. In Canada, this proportion is, as of April 2022, 16.3%. In the United States, it is 17.2%.

However, even at this rate, cultural change is slow to occur. “Better representation of women in the armed forces will bring about changes in culture,” says Stéfanie von Hlatky. But for that, they must have a certain critical mass. With 5%, 8% or even 15% representation, the culture cannot be expected to change overnight. We will have to show leadership, political and military. »