US and Swiss air force commanders discuss fighter jet deal
Date
3/16/2022 1:43:40 AM
(MENAFN- Swissinfo)
The two air force commanders and a flight simulator at the Payerne air base. © Keystone / Laurent Gillieron
The head of the US air force met with his Swiss counterpart on Tuesday after a three-day visit to the Alpine Nation.
Charles Q. Brown Jr. and Peter Merz appeared before the media at the Payerne air base in western Switzerland, where they stressed the need for Western countries to boost security cooperation.
“Recent events underscore the importance of working together to strengthen our strategic partnerships in order to meet our shared security requirements,” Brown told journalists, referring to Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
Merz said that cooperation between non-NATO member Switzerland and the US on security affairs was to“enter into a new era” with the planned Swiss purchase of 36 F-35A fighter jets from US company Lockheed-Martin.
The CHF6 billion ($6.37 billion) credit for the deal was narrowly approved by Swiss voters in 2020, but it has since become subject to debate after left-wing campaigners started gathering signatures to force another ballot.
And since the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the issue of the jets – as well as of Swiss defence policy in general – has been debated even further, with left-wing disarmament calls countered by suggestions to give a bigger budget to the army.
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