Swiss Armed Forces

The Swiss Armed Forces are the military of Switzerland, made up of land and air service branches. They run on a militia system in which regular soldiers are a small share and most personnel are conscripts or volunteers aged 19 to 34, and in some cases up to 50. Soldiers keep their personal equipment and weapons at home or in an armoury. Compulsory service applies to Swiss men, with women serving voluntarily, and about 20,000 people go through 18-week basic training each year, 23 weeks for special forces. The reform Army XXI of 2003 cut manpower from 400,000 to about 200,000, and a reform effective in 2018 aimed at 100,000. Because of long neutrality the forces have fought no foreign wars since the early 19th century, though they join international peacekeeping missions and the NATO Partnership for Peace.