It was led by a Chief of the General Staff who held the rank of Korpskommandant (NATO: OF-8).
In 1865, the Federal Staff Office was created, with its responsibility being to maintain the Swiss combat readiness for war.
After the Second World War, General Staff training was increasingly a precondition for the assumption of an army unit command.
It operated until the end of 2003, when the reforms of Armee XXI introduced the position of Chief of the Armed Forces.
Until its reorganization, the General Staff was the highest level of command in the Swiss Armed forces, with the Chief of the General Staff acting as the primus inter pares (first among equals).