Scout 25 – a day dedicated to battlefield reconnaissance and countermeasures
On 18 June 2025, armasuisse Science and Technology (S+T) together with the Swiss Armed Forces showcased modern technologies for battlefield reconnaissance and countermeasures at the Scout 25 technical symposium, where more than 350 guests were able to experience the technological solutions being developed by industry and academia within the framework of the Vision 2030+ of the Swiss Armed Forces.
Lucas Ballerstedt and Anela Ziko, Staff, armasuisse Science and Technology
The Scout 25 technical symposium got off to a good start on 18 June 2025, as the organisational team were able to welcome the invited guests and everyone involved to the Military Training Area in Thun amidst sunny weather and warm temperatures. The main focus of the day was battlefield reconnaissance and countermeasures for the Vision 2030+ programme of the Swiss Armed Forces. Approximately 350 guests learned the importance of reconnaissance and protection from the various keynote presentations, an exhibition area with over 60 exhibitors as well as technology demonstrations on the common land. The guests included representatives from the Swiss Armed Forces, Federal Administration and cantonal security authorities, as well as a number of separately invited guests from the DACH region. This day was only made possible thanks to the working partnership between armasuisse Science and Technology and the Swiss Armed Forces.
Keynote presentations to bring guests up to speed
The morning was dedicated to introducing the guests to the subject matter. Dr Thomas Rothacher, Head of armasuisse Science and Technology, was the first up in the series of keynote presentations. In his welcome address, he stated that the developments being made in the technology used for measures and countermeasures were akin to a game of cat and mouse. In this, security cannot be taken for granted, but rather it must be earned and then also protected. The aim here is to exploit the potential synergies offered by the defence sector, industry and academia and work together on finding solutions.
In the second welcome address, Major General Stephan Christen, Deputy Chief of Joint Operations Command, emphasised that drones are no longer merely sensors, but are now an integral part of the chain of results and have developed into one of the main tools of war. Drones are nodal points in the digital battlefield and have thus become the backbone of modern reconnaissance efforts.
This presentation was followed by a report from Brigadier Daniel Krauer, Head of Military Intelligence Service, discussing the challenges facing the intelligence services. The main aim of the Armed Forces Intelligence Service is to ensure that leadership at all levels has the freedom to take action. Another challenge they have to contend with is meeting the needs of the broad customer base in a targeted manner.
Gerli Kundla, Project Officer Innovation at the Hub for European Defence Innovation (HEDI) of the European Defence Agency (EDA), brought the presentations to an end, telling those in attendance that innovation in the defence sector not seen as a luxury, but more a necessity. In this context, it is important that Europe has multiple stakeholders in the field of defence innovation, as more than one of them can find solutions that are apt. In order to be successful together, we need to focus on a strategic mindset, speed and, in particular, partnership, stressed Gerli Kundla.
Exhibition and technology demonstration to facilitate discussions
Scout 25 addressed the topic of partnership and facilitated transparent discussions among those in attendance. In this setting, representatives from industry and academia presented their innovative technology solutions for the Swiss Armed Forces to the guests – in both the exhibition with more than 60 exhibition stands focusing on the topics of battlefield reconnaissance and countermeasures and also the technology demonstration on the common land in Thun, which saw contributions in a wide range of areas including in the detection of and defence against drones, in reconnaissance sensors on vehicles and drones as well as in camouflage and subterfuge.
Adaptation to a dynamic environment
Technologies are changing rapidly and are largely driven by the civilian market. In order to be able to keep pace with these changes, both the civilian world and the military world have to adapt. In other words, adaptation must also occur on the battlefield. Technology cycles are getting shorter and shorter, which is proving challenging in the military environment in particular. New technologies are thus changing the course of war. If your detection capabilities are quicker, more accurate and more comprehensive, you will clearly have an advantage over your adversaries. Accordingly, reconnaissance and protection are becoming increasingly important. And this is exactly what the Scout 25 technical symposium focused on, as representatives from industry and academia presented their innovative technology solutions for the Swiss Armed Forces as part of the exhibition and the technology demonstration held on the common land in Thun.
Scout 25 and innovation
“Scout 25” was organised within the framework of the DDPS innovation spaces – instruments that are used to find solutions for existing challenges in the DDPS. They are used to identify technology trends and new solution processes as well as for reviewing whether these meet the requirements in place. Thanks to the close cooperation with partners from the Swiss Armed Forces, industry and academia, armasuisse S+T employees possess cutting-edge technological expertise and specialist knowledge at all times, thus allowing them to assess the developments in technology to provide the Swiss Armed Forces with the capacity to defend itself and to deploy such technologies exactly where they are needed.
