Swiss Commander And Intelligence Chief Resign Amid The Spotlight Of Defense Institutions

ILLUSTRATION OF UNSPLASH/Ari Dinar

JAKARTA - The Commander-in-Chief of the Swiss armed forces and the head of the intelligence agency resigned from his position.

Thomas Suessli submitted his resignation as commander of the armed forces at the end of January, according to reports by the SRF public broadcaster and Neue Zuercher Zeitung newspaper, citing sources, although he will remain in office until the end of 2025.

Christian Dussey, who heads the Federal Intelligence Service, also resigned but will remain in office until the end of March 2026, according to the publication report.

Priska Seiler-Graf, president of the security committee of the lower house of the Swiss parliament, confirmed the resignation.

"I don't see any relationship between these two resignations, because they work in different organizations," he told Reuters, Tuesday, February 25.

The departure of the two officials comes at a time sensitive to Swiss defense agencies, which have come under fire for delaying important projects because it aims to build capacity following Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Earlier this year, Suessli admitted that she was concerned about the delays in various projects, including military drones from Israel.

The defense department is also waiting for a new civilian leader, after Viola Amherd's Minister announced his retirement in January, and his successor to the Swiss cabinet remains undecided.

Another blow to defense agencies was the Swiss Federal Audit Office on Monday revealing alleged fraud cases in the Swiss state-owned weapons group, Ruag MRO, and predicting financial losses.

Seiler-Graf said he did not see any connection between the resignation and the report on Rug, but said the departure of Suessli and Dussey may be related to Amherd's resignation.

"If the boss leaves, it usually results in other resignations too," he said.