Ammunition: National Council committee asks for 500 million more

The National Council's Security Policy Committee is asking the Confederation to spend a further 500 million francs on ammunition. The additional commitment credit would go to air defence and to indirect fire support, meaning artillery and the systems that strike at a distance without sighting the target.

The proposal does not replace what the government has already requested; it is added to it. The March 2026 army dispatch provides for 3.4 billion francs across the armament and property programmes, and parliament will take it up in September. The committee approved the addition by 11 votes to 9 with 4 abstentions.

For the majority, the deteriorating security situation in Europe makes it necessary to strengthen the army's ability to defend itself against the threats considered most likely, among them long-range attacks and hybrid threats. Raising ammunition reserves is absolutely necessary and should happen as soon as possible: international demand is high and both delivery times and costs are rising. The minority rejected the proposal on financial grounds.

On the 562-million property programme the committee backs all the projects put forward by the Federal Council, unchanged. It rejected both the request to increase funding for noise abatement at military airfields and the request to strike out the credits for construction work linked to the F-35A.

On the American fighter the committee spoke with a wider margin. By 17 votes to 8 with one abstention it authorised the additional credit of 394 million francs, which serves to buy at least thirty aircraft and to use in full the funds approved in the popular vote.

The file now goes to the chamber. The autumn session will show whether the National Council follows its committee on the 500 million, in a year when the federal budget's room for manoeuvre is already under discussion.