The Swiss Peace Movement: "No to NATO, No to PeSCo and No to this warmongering Federal Council".

What follows is my English translation of a short article, originally published in German on Friedensbewegung.ch on 29th August 2024 and then in Italian on ComeDonChisciotte.org on 16th September 2024. (All formatting original).

The Swiss government has decided to join two PeSCo (Permanent Structured Cooperation) projects. With this decision, the government takes another step towards the NATO war alliance, further undermining Swiss neutrality and independence. The Swiss Peace Movement strongly criticises this decision.

PeSCo is described as a military Schengen and decisively entails the free movement of military forces in Europe. Although PeSCo is presented as an EU project, it is clearly part of NATO's broader military cooperation. The strategic objectives explicitly include “actively supporting” NATO's Supreme Allied powers Command in EURope (SACEUR) and “supporting NATO commitments”.

NATO troops through Switzerland?

According to the Federal Council, Switzerland will participate in the “Military Mobility” and “Cyber Ranges Federation” projects. By joining “Military Mobility” it will be possible to process “requests for cross-border transport and movements”, i.e. the transport of NATO weapons and troops through Switzerland, more quickly.

NATO's Deputy Secretary General for Political Affairs and Security Policy, Boris Ruge, has already stated that Switzerland's participation in PeSCo would allow NATO to “move large forces” to the “eastern front at short notice” in the event of conflict. Put simply, this means that the NATO war alliance could use Switzerland to quickly transport military equipment or even troops to the front line in a war with Russia. The implications for the Swiss population are clear: in the worst case scenario, Switzerland could become a target in a conflict in an attempt to disrupt the supply of troops.

The “Cyber Ranges Federation” project envisages military cooperation in cyberspace. As the EU stated in a strategy document, the “distinction between war and peace” in cyberspace is unclear. This means that Switzerland could be involved in cyber wars with other NATO countries in the future, since neutrality laws do not formally cover cyberspace. This entails the risk that Switzerland could be involved in non-digital wars due to provocations in cyberspace.

Violation of neutrality

The Swiss Peace Movement strongly condemns the decision of the Federal Council to join PeSCo. This decision is a clear violation of the Neutrality Act. The Hague Conventions, which enshrine neutrality in international law, clearly state: a neutral country must not “permit” warring parties to “move troops or convoys of ammunition or supplies through the territory of a neutral power”. By participating in PeSCo, Switzerland allows NATO countries, which are known to be involved in various wars, including the ongoing US “war on terror”, to transport troops and ammunition through Swiss territory. By joining PeSCo, the Federal Council is further involving Switzerland in the military structures of the NATO war alliance and is manifestly aligning itself with the Western military bloc. Whoever wants to guarantee peace must say No to NATO, No to PeSCo and No to this warmongering Federal Council.

Swiss Peace Movement

Switzerland had already taken side with EU and NATO on the Russo-Ukrainian war by applying the same sanctions applied against Russia by the Outlaw US Empire and its EU and NATO vassal states. However, it is now apparent that Switzerland wants to dump its neutrality state once and for all by helping NATO even more, not just with economic sanctions, but also by allowing unrestricted movement of troops, weapons and ammunition across its territory.

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