Creation of the Armaments Program

The departemental sector Defence is responsible for the preparation of the Federal Council Dispatch on the procurement of military equipment, the Armament Program (AP). The bases needed for the fornulation of the dispatch are prepared by the Armed Forces Staff (AFS) and armasuisse.

Political decision

The annual Armament Program is passed by the Federal Council and then submitted to parliament for approval (parliamentary debates). The preliminary examinations are conducted by the Defence Committees of the National Council and the Council of States. They submit proposals to the respective chamber. In the committees the parlamentarians can also call in external experts.

Presentation of the Armaments Program

The Armament Program is accessible to the public. For the Defence Committees and for media professionals the systems foreseen for procurement are presented during an exhibition of the equipment.

During parliamentary deliberations armasuisse continues its procurement preparations and prepares the introduction of the systems with the users.

Approval of procurements

Only when the Armament Program has been passed by both councils (Approval of Armament Program), the procurements are approved. The Federal Council releases the projects for approvement within the approved credits.