Defense: Germany wants to buy back Leopard tanks from Switzerland

Germany wants to close material gaps in the Bundeswehr by buying back Leopard 2 main battle tanks from Switzerland. The request for a sale had been put forward in a letter, a spokesman for the Ministry of Defense confirmed in Berlin today. “Basically it says that we would be happy if Switzerland would consider selling stocks from the Swiss fleet that has been decommissioned,” he said. First, the Swiss newspaper “Blick” reported about it.

A corresponding request went to the Ministry of Defense in Bern, as its spokesman Renato Kalbermatten confirmed on Friday. The Swiss Ministry of Defense did not say how many tanks Germany wanted to buy. In response to a question, the spokesman for the German Ministry of Defense said that it could be contractually ruled out that the tanks from Switzerland would later be given to Ukraine. According to reports, the aim is to have them modernized by the German armaments industry or to use assemblies as spare parts.

134 Leopard 2 tanks in service, 96 decommissioned

Switzerland has 230 Leopard 2 tanks, of which 134 are in service and 96 are decommissioned. However, they were not “decommissioned”, as Kalbermatten said. According to Swiss law, only decommissioned material can be sold. Parliament decides whether material is to be decommissioned.

Parliament is in its spring session. It is not certain that a decision will be made in the short term. Arms deliveries to Ukraine in connection with Russia’s war of aggression against the country are currently the subject of heated debate. Referring to its neutrality, Switzerland has banned Germany and other countries from transferring Swiss ammunition to Ukraine. Whether and how this should be changed is controversial.

“From the point of view of the army, it would be possible in principle, minus the need for the full equipment of the six mechanized battalions, to do without a limited number of battle tanks,” the ministry said. The prerequisite is that Parliament puts them out of service.

The Council of States is skeptical about the return

In the smaller chamber of parliament, the Council of States, such a deal with the Swiss Leopard tanks was viewed with skepticism. At the beginning of February, the Security Policy Commission voted 8 to 2 against a parliamentary initiative that envisaged decommissioning up to 30 of the 96 decommissioned “Panzer 87 Leopards” of the Swiss army and returning them to Germany. Opponents said the tanks were needed as a strategic reserve and spare parts store, the commission said on February 3.

The chances of the Swiss parliament agreeing are slim, says Werner Salzmann, chairman of the security policy committee in the City Council. “That doesn’t stand a chance, I’m almost 100 percent convinced of that,” said the right-wing SVP politician to the dpa. “On the one hand, we have to keep our army defensible, and the second point is: this would be a ring deal, we can’t do that because of neutrality law in Switzerland.” By ring deal it is meant that the tanks from Switzerland will replace those supplied to a side involved in a war, Ukraine.

appeal to neutrality

Salzmann pointed out that it is an election year in Switzerland. “Neutrality is a very important issue for SVP voters,” he said. “Any easing is seen as unilaterally helping Ukraine – that’s not possible under neutrality law.” Of course, Russia’s war against Ukraine is illegal under international law, he stressed. The UN General Assembly has also determined this. However, there is an equal treatment requirement for all parties involved in conflicts. “You can’t override that with a UN resolution.”

For the same reasons, Salzmann sees no chance of the Swiss parliament removing hurdles so that Swiss tank ammunition can be forwarded to Ukraine. The ban on forwarding is in the sales contracts. Germany and other countries have so far asked for exceptions in vain.

However, a loosening of the Swiss position is hotly debated, above all because the armaments industry is building steam. The German Finance Minister Christian Lindner (FDP) has said that in the face of such refusals, procurers will have to think carefully about where they buy ammunition in the future. The armaments expert Matthias Zoller from Swissmem, the branch association of the Swiss machine, electrical and metal industry, told the broadcaster SRF: “The current legislation deprives the armaments industry of its livelihood… You can either produce abroad or you will die economically in the medium term .”