Firstly, every man has to report to the city of Lausanne at the age of 18 for three days of physical and mental tests, where they are then awarded a certain number of points upon completion. Based on those points and personal ambition, they choose a career track within the army. Then between the ages of 18 and 26, they are to complete one year of service in the chosen track. The year can be completed all at once, or for 3/4 of the time and then for approximately three weeks every year until the service is completed. The time in which they choose to leave is free will, except in cases of national disaster or war, etc. And if their service was exemplary, they can be given the option for a promotion. While a promotion means more service time and is therefore not mandatory, it has great advantages. And since absolutely every man has to serve, that means all careers are mixed in together (doctors, lawyers, bus drivers, restaurant owners), and so there's the fantastic opportunity to meet people from every walk of life.
A question I hear a lot from foreigners and which I initially asked myself is why Switzerland has an army with a mandatory service requirement when the country is politically neutral? But in fact, their neutrality is exactly why they have an army. Switzerland's defense capabilities are so strong that no one can question their role of neutrality, because the Swiss would easily be able to fend off any attackers. In this way, Switzerland can take care of its business, act freely in the politics of whomever they choose, and they never actually have to go to war (but they mostly just like to be left alone). The only way to stay out of messy politics is to ensure no one can question your detachment, which Switzerland has mastered. In previous centuries, the Swiss were mercenaries who served both sides in wars, which is why their soldiers (and their weaponry) have become famous.
What's the coolest part? Their thousands of hidden tunnels and bunkers! The tunnels in the Alps are nicknamed "les gruyères suisses," like the famous "Swiss cheese" (2 kinds: gruyère and emmental) with holes in it, because the mountains are full of them. There are also thousands of bunkers disguised as ordinary houses, sheds, and pieces of scenery. The tunnels and bunkers are ready to house 90% of the people in Switzerland should any type of national emergency arise. The following video is outdated and in French, but you can get a good visual on what these disguised bunkers and weaponry look like (and it means that there are even more of these now, and more sophisticated). Since there's no threat of war at the moment, many bunkers are now being used by banks to store confidential information.
The Swiss Army is also interesting based on a linguistics standpoint. Switzerland has four national languages, Swiss German, French, Italian, and Romansh, and since every man is required to serve but the Swiss aren't taught all four of their languages, there are naturally communication problems that arise. For example, even if you learn some German (which is the primary of the four languages and the most wide-spread) while growing up in French-speaking Geneva, that doesn't mean that you remember more than a few words. So what do you do if you can't speak German? You speak English! English has become a secondary 5th language for Switzerland, both in terms of the Army and in the business world, so it's the natural lingua franca if German (or French) isn't spoken.
I somehow feel a greater connection to Switzerland after learning about their army because it's obviously a large part of who they are. It's information like this that makes me appreciate living abroad so much, because I probably never would have learned it otherwise.
No comments:
Post a Comment