The US has delayed the scheduled delivery of long-range interceptor missiles to Switzerland in order to prioritize Ukraine’s military needs, Swiss media reported on Tuesday citing authorities.
President Joe Biden announced last week that foreign buyers of American arms will have to get behind Kiev because Ukraine needs the weapons more in order to keep fighting Russia. Switzerland is among the nations affected by the decision, the Swiss daily newspaper Blick reported.
Last fall, the European nation ordered PAC-3 missiles for the US-designed Patriot system, worth 300 million Swiss francs ($340 million). However, the promised shipments will not come on time due to the Ukraine conflict, several sources in the Swiss defense ministry told the news outlet, which claimed Kiev is “snatching” the arms. The Swiss military later confirmed to the press that the report was true.
The situation shows that “Switzerland needs an independent and robust defense industry again, and to diversify procurement among manufacturers and countries,” according to the military.
The US last year authorized Switzerland to procure up to 72 advanced MSE PAC-3 interceptor missiles for a total price of $700 million. The delivery was expected sometime in the late 2020s or early 2030s, according to Swiss media sources.
Washington reportedly claimed ‘force majeure’, which allows for the alteration of an agreement due to serious unforeseen circumstances. The Ukraine crisis constitutes a national security issue for the US, it reportedly told Swiss officials.
“This is like during the Covid-19 pandemic: when there are problems, each country looks after itself,” Swiss MP Thomas Hurter told Blick of the situation. “The US decision shows how quickly reliability can change.”
He urged the government to revisit its plan to phase out the current fleet of fighter jets, which it intends to replace with Lockheed-made F-35s. Switzerland ordered 36 of them last year for a sum of over $6.8 billion to be supplied between 2027 and 2030, so that its Air Force could retire the aging F-5 Tigers and F/A-18 Hornets.