Taxpayer asks:
I was going to leave a comment on your post this morning but it’s more of a question. Is it true that the Swiss do not have a military? I ask because I thought that all of these countries that losing tax money to the Swiss are the ones that spend money to protect them.
Taxgirl says:
I thought this was a really interesting question so I decided to sneak in an additional post this morning.
Yes, the Swiss do have a military. I have it on good authority since my husband owns one of their army’s knives… 😉
Actually, the Swiss have maintained a military since the beginning of the 19th century. It’s just very small. They have an army and an air force (the US has even sold jets to them). And yes, despite being landlocked, the Swiss do have some “military patrol boats” – just not a real navy to speak of.
Switzerland declared itself neutral in 1815 (as a result of the Congress of Vienna) and hasn’t fought any foreign wars since. I’m not sure what the protocol would be if the country was attacked but my gut would be that their allies would pitch in and help. I think a formal military alliance is prohibited under the terms of the Convention.
Point taken, though. Thanks for the thought-provoking question.
By the way, feel free to ask questions in the comments – I try to answer those, too.
Before you go: be sure to read my disclaimer. Remember, I’m a lawyer and we love disclaimers.
If you have a question, here’s how to Ask The Taxgirl.
All you ever wanted to know about the Swiss Military at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Military_of_Switzerland
For a great read on the Swiss Army see John McPhee’s “La Place de la Concorde Suisse”.
My father who never served in the U.S. armed forces told us as children that he was a veteran of the Swiss Navy. My youngest sister proudly told her class that in elementary school. When the teacher told her that Switzerland didn’t have a navy – she was crushed.
She still brings it up as an embarassing moment even though my father passed away years ago.