As soon as he was in office, he had to trigger the greatest serious effort since the Second World War. Soon Thomas Sussli will send the first soldiers home again. In the interview, the new army chief talks about corona, flat hierarchies and the cultural change he wants to implement.
In the Corona crisis, they commissioned up to 8,000 soldiers to be deployed if necessary. You hadn’t been in office for 100 days. How did you experience this time as the top soldier in Switzerland?
At the beginning of March, the pictures from Italy shaped us. It was clear to us that we have to be ready as soon as the cantons request services from the army. We started planning and preparing early. When we finally triggered the mobilization, I was concerned about the health of the troops. I was there a lot to see with my own eyes how work is done and how the protective measures are observed. What I saw impressed me: bosses who take care of their troops, take people’s concerns seriously and prepare them seriously for the demanding assignment.
How did the mobilization go? The new system was only reintroduced two years ago. . .
Yes, the mobilization worked very well. The army was able to show that the planned increase in readiness is correct and important. Our militia army has proven that they can mobilize within hours and protect and support our people. The line-up via SMS has also proven itself. Over 80 percent of those called up answered within an hour. The process was also followed with interest abroad. The fact that our militia system turns citizens into soldiers in record time is certainly a peculiarity of Switzerland.
What is your assessment of this emergency so far?
It is still too early for a comprehensive assessment. We are still in the middle of the action.
Well, then we ask differently: What are you struggling with?
In the beginning, enforcing the hygiene regulations was a major challenge. But our rhythm of leadership has proven itself once again: We grasp the problem, assess the situation, make a decision and plan. Then we place the orders and later adjust the plans if necessary. And I think our militia cadres will benefit from the leadership experience from this challenging time for a long time to come.
Still, you struggle to find enough people who want to be in management positions. What are you doing wrong
Fortunately, that’s not true. We will find enough suitable candidates at all levels. As militia cadres, they want to learn and live leadership. You know that our training combined with earning money is still the best practice management school in Switzerland. Where else can you take on so much practical leadership responsibility and learn from experience at this young age?
Where do you see other challenges?
You don’t always have to look at the challenges and problems. The current appreciation of the population is good for our citizens in uniform – and they deserve it.
Nevertheless, not everything went smoothly. The trade association criticized the communication to the employers.
I understand the criticism. The letter to the employers came after a week, which was primarily due to the high speed of the decisions in the first days after mobilization. Many members of the army are still missing in the world of work, some of them in basic services. Following the latest decision by the Federal Council, we can now send a few hundred members of the army back to work – and thus specifically mitigate the consequences of the assistance service for the economy.
Why so quickly?
In the meantime, the measures taken by the federal government and the cantons have affected. The need for support services for the Swiss healthcare system is lower than feared at the time. Now it is a matter of dismissing troops that are not currently needed – with standby conditions. The army thus remains ready to provide the affected federal and cantonal authorities with timely benefits even if the situation deteriorates.
Many soldiers have no job. Did you offer too much with “all in”?
No. We relied on the rapid increase in the cantons’ requests for civilian support and the status of the possible pandemic scenarios at the time. For us, it was a matter of being able to offer maximum support immediately in nursing if the fears had materialized and the hospitals had been overloaded. We have prepared ourselves for this. Fortunately, the civil healthcare system is now largely able to cope with the situation independently. That is why we can now fire the first soldiers. But if the situation worsens again, we offer it again.
“Stress and wait”. For many, this memory shapes the memory of the army. Different soldiers simply have to wait when using the Corona.
It is like the military craft that you prepare yourself in a targeted manner so that you usually only make a short but decisive effort. The fire brigade does the same. She practices all year round, is ready and on standby, and if there is a fire, she must be ready immediately.
How should the commanders deal with the waiting time?
The commanders exemplify leadership and explain the meaning of the assistance service. They also explain why a reserve is needed. The soldiers are extremely motivated to contribute. But the majority of them understand the reasoning well. The waiting time is therefore not in vain but is used for the training.
Why do you just let the recruit schools keep running? Many recruits have been in the barracks for weeks without a break. There was even a petition requesting that they be allowed to go home.
It has been criticized in recent weeks that emergency camps and reserves have been reduced in recent years. The army is Switzerland’s last security reserve. And who knows what the next crisis will be? Therefore, in addition to coping with the current situation, we must continue to be ready for other scenarios. I have spoken to many local recruits and believe that the majority of them accept this. However, they miss their relatives and are looking forward to taking a short vacation again after five weeks.
What is your role as an army chief in Corona operations?
I am the interface between the head of department Viola Amherd and the Federal Council on the one hand and the commander of the operation on the other. I am therefore responsible for the missions, but I am not leading them myself. It was the first time that we were able to check the new army structures in a long mission throughout Switzerland.
As a former medical soldier, you could even march your troops. . .
My own experiences in the army, from the soldier of the medical troops to the commander of the logistics brigade, gave me confidence. I knew they could do it. The hospital battalions had been training exactly what they are now demonstrating for several years. But not only medical and hospital soldiers are required. For example, the infantry has taken on protective tasks, and the recruit schools have provided infrastructure for the advancing troops.
How is it by you? Did you have initial problems?
My role was not always easy for me. I sometimes had to deliberately take a back seat. This gave me enough time to have contact with the troops on site. It is very important to me to consistently implement the further development of the army by the end of 2022, then to assess the strengths and weaknesses and, if necessary, to make targeted adjustments.
Where do you think adjustments are needed?
We find that we can shorten and optimize decision-making processes and processes in many areas. Not only within the military administration and the army but also in exchange with civil partners. We will work on that. Another important issue is the balance between what we are supposed to do and the resources. We have fewer and fewer people in the repeat courses, and it is not certain that we can secure the stocks in the long term.
If you could motivate more women to serve, the existence problem would be solved. Federal Councilor Viola Amherd has declared since taking office that she wants to increase the proportion of women in the army. So far, however, the efforts do not seem to be very successful. Why is that?
I think women bring a lot more to our army than just increasing stocks. They bring invaluable other thinking patterns, are highly motivated and do as much as their male comrades. Women come to us when we can explain that the army has exciting challenges and meaningful tasks for them to grow personally. That was clearly shown. I don’t find a 10 percent share of women unrealistic. We want to find the right place for every Swiss who wants to join the army.
Let us come back to coping with the Corona crisis: it is said that you are in daily contact with all your commanders. Are you doing this differently than your predecessor?
One of the strengths of our militia army is contract tactics. So that all commanders can think ahead and act independently, they must know the boss’s plans promptly. That is why we inform them every day in a short conference call about the development of the situation and the changes in use. The commanders can now also communicate in a special and secure chat – with each other and directly with me. We have consciously taken a step towards more digitization, and I hope we can use it to initiate a cultural change.
That sounds like flat hierarchies.
Quite. My goal is to create flat hierarchies in the army. But I don’t want to primarily fix cultural change in it. The digitization of the army and militia is of particular importance. It forces us to rethink skills and processes. To introduce new technologies and use them efficiently, we need a cultural change. It must be possible to try new things in small steps, make mistakes and learn from them to develop quickly.
Speaking of changes, how can the army and civil protection work better together in the future?
I think the collaboration is already working well today. The security association exercise last autumn helped those responsible to know each other and better understand the processes. But I can well imagine that there are opportunities to make better use of complementary skills and capacities.
The army must help, protect and fight. The issue of safety has always been a second priority when using Corona. Still, don’t send those soldiers who support the police and customs officials home. Why?
The security aspect plays a role in every army deployment. In this way, the troops protected their facilities and locations right from the start. But when the army assists, it’s always subsidiary. This means that it will only be used once the civilian resources have been exhausted. Applications for support from the Federal Customs Administration and the police came later. And the need remains there. The troops that are still in use must, therefore, continue to provide the services.
You could say that Corona has been a good chance to demonstrate “Susslis Soft Power”. You are known for that. But the army’s core mission is defense. . .
This is exactly where I see my main task: to align the army with current and possible future threats and dangers. Ultimately, this also means defending Switzerland in an armed conflict. The new threats are characterized by the fact that the opponent acts in a network. He looks undetected for as long as possible and at a distance. His actions are primarily directed against the population and our critical infrastructure. If there is an armed conflict in Switzerland, it will inevitably take place in the built-up area. Not because we want it, but because most of the area in the Swiss plateau is built over.
What are the greatest dangers in this scenario?
I see the dangers above all in the increasing dependence of our society on electricity and in digitalization. At the same time, our resilience is decreasing, as has been shown in the current crisis.
Is Switzerland adequately equipped for cyber attacks?
I cannot speak for all of Switzerland. However, I notice that larger companies, in particular, are always better protected and prepared. On the other hand, many SMEs do not have the means to do this. I am also concerned about the critical infrastructures. Not because they wouldn’t protect themselves enough. But because there are few reserves and resilience in our optimized and efficient world. Concerning the army, we often hear that cyber is the new threat and therefore no heavy means are necessary. But cyber does not replace existing threats – on the contrary, it makes them even more dangerous.
In the first 100 days, what experience shaped you the most as army chief?
Different images go through my head. Above all, it’s the people I’ve met. I find it an absolute privilege to be able to exchange ideas with many interesting personalities. I will never forget the moment when the mobilization was triggered. Everyone in the room felt how important it was. It was a formative feeling to be able to deploy the army where it needed it.
