Germany wants to buy back Switzerland’s main Leopard 2 main battle tanks from the 1980s. In a letter dated February 23, German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius (SPD) and Federal Economy Minister Robert Habeck ( Greens), asked Swiss Defense Minister Viola Amherd to approve the sale, Blick 96 newspaper reported of the decommissioned Swiss Army Leopard-2. sold back to German manufacturer Rheinmetall. Leopard-2s are intended to fill gaps in the stockpiles of EU and NATO countries supplying tanks to Ukraine.
Switzerland has 230 Leopard 2 tanks, of which 134 are in service and 96 are decommissioned. However, they have not been “disabled” as Kalbermatten put it. According to Swiss law, only deactivated material can be sold. Parliament decides whether the material should be decommissioned.
For reasons of neutrality, Switzerland does not hand over arms to the parties to the conflict – either directly or indirectly. But that could change now, as Switzerland fears for its defense industry.
10/02/2023 | 02:17 min Parliament is currently in its spring session. It is not certain that a decision will be taken in the short term. Arms deliveries in connection with the war against Ukraine are hotly debated. Referring to its neutrality, Switzerland prohibited Germany and other countries from transferring Swiss ammunition to Ukraine. Whether and how this should be changed is controversial.
“From the army’s point of view, it would be possible, in principle, without the need to fully equip the six mechanized battalions, to dispense with a limited number of war tanks,” the ministry said. The prerequisite is that Parliament takes them out of commission.
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