Conscription in Switzerland

Service in the army or civil protection usually begins at the age of 20, but recruitment may commence as early as 16 for those interested in preparatory courses, which are a precondition for gaining access to some sectors of the armed forces.

During this day they are given a presentation of the army, the civil protection, Switzerland's security policy, an overview of their rights and duties and administrative directives.

Conscripts are advised to either carry out their service in a single long stretch or to fraction their time by undergoing recruit training first and serving in a later phase.

[2] In 2016, an expert commission that the Swiss government charged with reviewing the country's conscription system recommended that women be included in the military draft in order to meet its annual demand of 18,000 new soldiers a year.

[11] Almost 20% of all conscripts were found unfit for military or civilian service in 2008; the rate is generally higher in urban cantons such as Zurich and Geneva than in the rural ones.

[15] Conscripts found to be sufficiently unfit for regular military service, but not for exemption, take part in civil protection, where they may be called on to assist the police, fire or health departments, as well as natural disaster relief and crowd control during demonstrations or events with large attendance.

The second phase of six weeks is devoted to function-specific basic instructions, where recruits learn skills specific to their job.

[23] As of 2017, all personnel are paid a basic compensation ranging from 4 Swiss francs a day for a recruit to CHF 30 for a lieutenant general.

[25] The political system in Switzerland is characterized by the so-called militia-system, where civilian service tasks basically are carried out on a part-time basis.