He was the head of the Federal Department of Defence, Civil Protection and Sports (notably acting as a defense minister for Switzerland).

During his time in office he has held the Federal Department of Defence, Civil Protection and Sports.

He was put under pressure by the party's nationalist wing, led by National Councillor Christoph Blocher, for taking a moderate stance on certain issues.

For Schmid to have been expelled, the SVP's Bern section would have had to terminate his membership, and it refused to do so.

In 2008, Schmid joined the newly formed Conservative Democratic Party, along with almost all of the SVP's Bern section.