Status: 03/03/2023 3:42 p.m
Germany wants to buy back old “Leopard 2” tanks from Switzerland. This is intended to replenish the inventory in the Bundeswehr after the arms deliveries to Ukraine. But the rules in Switzerland are strict.
After the delivery of tanks to the Ukraine, there are large gaps in the Bundeswehr. In order to fill these, Germany wants to buy back decommissioned “Leopard 2” battle tanks from Switzerland. In a letter dated February 23, Defense Minister Boris Pistorius and Economics Minister Robert Habeck asked Swiss Defense Minister Viola Amherd to “approve” the takeover of decommissioned “Leopard 2 battle tanks” from the Swiss army, the Swiss Defense Ministry told the AFP news agency and confirmed thus a report by the Swiss newspaper “Blick”.
The federal government also confirmed the request. Germany would appreciate “if Switzerland were to consider selling stocks from the Swiss fleet that has been decommissioned,” said a spokesman for the Ministry of Defense. The tanks are models from the 1980s that Germany had sold to Switzerland. The German armaments company Rheinmetall is now to buy them back. It is not known how many tanks Switzerland is supposed to give up.
Swiss parliament must agree
The Swiss Army has 134 “Leopard 2” tanks in service and 96 units decommissioned. The tanks are regularly tested, but have not been modernized. The stored tanks were not “decommissioned,” as the spokesman for the Ministry of Defense said. According to Swiss law, only decommissioned material can be sold. Parliament must decide whether material is to be decommissioned. In principle, it is possible for the Swiss army to do without a “limited number of battle tanks,” the Ministry of Defense said. The prerequisite is that Switzerland’s own needs are covered.
In the smaller chamber of parliament, the Council of States, such a deal with the Swiss “Leopard 2” tanks is viewed with skepticism. At the beginning of February, the Security Policy Commission voted eight to two against a parliamentary initiative that envisaged decommissioning up to 30 of the 96 decommissioned “Panzer 87 Leopard” used by the Swiss army and handing them back to Germany. Opponents said the tanks were needed as a strategic reserve and spare parts store, the commission said on February 3.
No transfer to Ukraine
According to the German Defense Ministry, Switzerland was assured that the tanks would not be sent to Ukraine. The whereabouts of the tanks “in Germany or with the NATO and EU partners would be guaranteed,” it said. The tanks would fill in the gaps left by deliveries to Ukraine. Due to the Swiss principle of neutrality, the country is not allowed to deliver weapons to countries at war.
In Switzerland, a relaxation of neutrality has been discussed for months. Although the non-EU country supports the sanctions imposed on Russia by the European Union, it does not allow Swiss ammunition and weapons to be passed on to Ukraine and does not supply any military equipment itself. However, various initiatives to relax the regulations are being discussed in Parliament, but a decision is not expected for a few months.