THE CORNERSTONES OF THE SWISS SECURITY POLICY

In order to comprehend the specific features of Switzerland and its security policy in today’s geopolitical context, the author first refers to the historical figure of Lieutenant Colonel Franz von Erlach, who participated in the Polish insurrection of 1863 as an observer, drawing valuable conclusions therefore, which had at the time an impact on Swiss military thinking. He then follows with a short overview of Swiss military history, which subsequently leads to situating contemporary Switzerland in its geographical, political and institutional environment. Finally, the author addresses the essential aspects of Switzerland’s current national defence, military organisation and security policy.