Schweizer Armee

With its 100,000 military personnel, the Swiss Armed Forces make a significant contribution to security and peace in our country: It defends Switzerland, supports the civilian authorities in emergencies and promotes peace abroad. The VUCA world shows us how broad the spectrum of threats and dangers can be - from terrorism and cyberattacks to disasters and emergencies. The Swiss Armed Forces must be correspondingly broadly positioned. In the event of an armed attack, it must be able to defend in all theaters of action: on the ground, in the air and in cyberspace.

All threats and dangers have one thing in common: if they are to be successfully countered, leadership is required. Leadership in the sense of mastering methods, systems and instruments in order to fulfill orders in the required quality and time. But leadership also means leadership in difficult situations.

The army offers military cadres the unique opportunity to learn leadership in practice at a young age. Across social classes, cultures and language barriers. But also in wet, cold and sleep-deprived conditions. And finally, leadership is the ability to convey the meaning of an activity to people and to motivate them - and to endure criticism in the process. Those who manage to build a basis of mutual trust in this way can bring teams to peak performance.

The Army's center of excellence for command and staff training from company commander level upwards is the Armed Forces Higher Cadre Training (HKA) in Lucerne. Here, military commanders learn the military problem-solving skills on the basis of the “5+2” military leadership process. They then have the opportunity to put what they have learned into practice on a 1:1 scale in schools, military associations and on operations.