Security Policy Strategy 2026

The Federal Council’s new Security Policy Strategy 2026 marks a key milestone for the future direction of Swiss security policy. It forms the strategic basis for the further development of the Swiss Armed Forces, but its scope extends far beyond that. In view of the increasingly tense international security situation, the Federal Council is pursuing a comprehensive approach that also involves the economy, the population, all levels of government, the Swiss Security Network, the militia associations and other key stakeholders.

The Strategy thus takes account of the fact that security is no longer solely the responsibility of state institutions. Rather, it requires coordinated cooperation between the state, the private sector and society – in the spirit of a modern comprehensive defence approach. Resilience, crisis management capabilities and robustness are thus (once again) becoming central elements of Swiss security policy.

The publication of the strategy is not merely a political decision on the direction to take, but the starting point for a broad and urgently needed debate on security policy in Switzerland. What will be crucial is how swiftly and consistently the stated objectives are translated into concrete measures, and what roles and responsibilities the various actors (both state and non-state) will be required to assume in this process.

The 27th FSS Security Talk is therefore dedicated to this highly topical and far-reaching issue:

• What security policy priorities does the Security Policy Strategy 2026 set out? How does it alter Switzerland’s strategic direction, and how can the most significant deficiencies be swiftly addressed?

• Are there any parallels with the German Federal Government’s ‘National Security Strategy’ of 2023? What conclusions can be drawn from it for Switzerland?

• What responsibilities and tasks does Switzerland have within the context of the European security order? What needs to change so that our country is once again regarded internationally as a reliable partner in terms of security and armaments policy?

• What role will the Swiss Armed Forces play in future within a comprehensive security architecture?

  What significance do the militia units have in this context?

• Why must the economy, critical infrastructure and the population be more closely involved in security preparedness? What tasks will the Swiss Security Network (SSN) undertake in this regard? What significance do the economy and businesses have for the success of the Security Policy Strategy?

• What challenges arise in implementing the strategy – politically, institutionally, financially and operationally? What must a forthcoming masterplan contain to ensure that the necessary actions swiftly follow the many words?

We are delighted to welcome the following distinguished experts to the event:

• Joachim Adler, Head of Defence Policy, State Secretariat for Security Policy SEPOS

• Christoph Mäder, President, Economiesuisse

• Fregattenkapitän Per Fritz Weiler, Defence Attaché of the Federal Republic of Germany in Bern

• Oberst i Gst Stefan Holenstein, President of the Association of Military Societies of Switzerland (VMG / ASM)

• Councillor of States Franziska Roth, Vice-President of the Security Policy Committee of the Council of States (SPC-S)

• Martin von Muralt, Delegate for the Swiss Security Network (SVS)

We warmly invite you to join us in discussing Switzerland’s new security policy strategy with experts from the worlds of politics, public administration, security agencies and business.