it, Capo dell’esercito , insignia = , insigniasize = , insigniacaption = Badge of the Armed Forces Staff , flag = , flagsize = , flagborder = , flagcaption = , image = Thomas Süssli in 2019.jpg , imagesize = , alt = , incumbent = Lt Gen Thomas Süssli , acting = , incumbentsince = 1 January 2020 , department = Federal Department of Defence , style = , type = , status = , abbreviation = CdA , member_of = , reports_to = Head of the Department of Defence , residence = , seat = , nominator = , appointer = , appointer_qualified = , termlength = , termlength_qualified = , constituting_instrument = , precursor =

General Staff A military staff or general staff (also referred to as army staff, navy staff, or air staff within the individual services) is a group of officers, enlisted and civilian staff who serve the commander of a division or other large military ...

, formation = 1 January 2004 , first = Lt Gen Christophe Keckeis , last = , abolished = , succession = , unofficial_names = , deputy = , salary = , website = The Chief of the Armed Forces (german: Chef der Armee (CdA); french: Chef de l'armée; it, Capo dell’esercito) commands the

Swiss Armed Forces The Swiss Armed Forces (german: Schweizer Armee, french: Armée suisse, it, Esercito svizzero, rm, Armada svizra; ) operates on land and in the air, serving as the primary armed forces of Switzerland. Under the country's militia system, re ...

in time of peace and reports directly to the head of the

Federal Department of Defence, Civil Protection and Sports The Federal Department of Defence, Civil Protection and Sport (DDPS, german: Eidgenössisches Departement für Verteidigung, Bevölkerungsschutz und Sport, french: Département fédéral de la défense, de la protection de la population et des ...

and to the

Swiss Federal Council The Federal Council (german: Bundesrat; french: Conseil fédéral; it, Consiglio federale; rm, Cussegl federal) is the executive body of the federal government of the Swiss Confederation and serves as the collective head of state and governm ...

. The position was established in 2004.

History

Until the end of 2003, the highest level of command in the Swiss Armed forces was held by the

, led by the Chief of the General Staff as ''

primus inter pares ''Primus inter pares'' is a Latin phrase meaning first among equals. It is typically used as an honorary title for someone who is formally equal to other members of their group but is accorded unofficial respect, traditionally owing to their se ...

''. Together with other reforms of the Armed Forces (german: Armee XXI), the position of Chief of the Armed Forces was introduced. Christophe Keckeis became the first Chief of the Armed Forces, having already served as Chief of the General Staff since January 2003.

General information

The Chief of the Armed Forces is elected by the Federal Council and holds the rank of (

three-star rank An officer of three-star rank is a senior commander in many of the armed services holding a rank described by the NATO code of OF-8. The term is also used by some armed forces which are not NATO members. Typically, three-star officers hold the ...

, equivalent to

Lieutenant General Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a three-star military rank (NATO code OF-8) used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on th ...

). He leads the Swiss Armed Forces only in time of peace. Only in time of war, a commander-in-chief of the rank of

General A general officer is an officer of high rank in the armies, and in some nations' air forces, space forces, and marines or naval infantry. In some usages the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colonel."general, adj. and n.". O ...

(

four-star rank A four-star rank is the rank of any four-star officer described by the NATO OF-9 code. Four-star officers are often the most senior commanders in the armed services, having ranks such as (full) admiral, (full) general, colonel general, army ge ...

) is elected by the Federal Assembly.

List of Chiefs of the Armed Forces

References

External links

Chef der Armee
at the official Swiss government website {{Portal bar, War, Switzerland Swiss military-related lists Military of Switzerland 2004 establishments in Switzerland Lists of Swiss military personnel

Switzerland ). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...