Swiss defence minister faces parliament over F-35 costs and 104 million franc legal fees

Procurement history and cost disputes

Swiss federal authorities decided in 2013 to replace the aging F-5 fleet with Swedish Gripen jets, but voters rejected the corresponding procurement fund in a popular referendum. With both the F-5 Tiger and F/A-18 reaching retirement, parliament approved a federal decree in late 2019 to acquire new fighters within a 6 billion Swiss franc ceiling based on the January 2018 consumer price index. In September 2022, Switzerland signed a formal purchase contract with the United States for Lockheed Martin F-35 jets. The deal is now contested in Bern over the exact wording of an alleged fixed-price guarantee, as well as rising projected operating expenses. Additional air defence acquisitions face friction, with ordered Patriot missile systems projected to arrive later and cost more than initially agreed.

Federal spending on outside legal counsel

Scrutiny over the purchase terms expanded after reports showed the Federal Department of Defence, Civil Protection and Sport (VBS) bypassed its internal legal staff. The department hired the Zurich law firm Homburger directly to assess the United States contract and review the disputed fixed-price provisions, despite the firm noting it did not specialize in American arms transactions. Grégoire Gogniat of the Federal Office for Buildings and Logistics confirmed that Homburger received nearly 2.7 million Swiss francs from the VBS between 2022 and 2025. Across the entire federal administration, external legal opinions and assessments cost approximately 104 million francs over those four years, averaging roughly 25 million francs annually, including nearly 23.5 million francs in 2025. Other ministries used similar arrangements, including the Federal Department of Finance under Karin Keller-Sutter, which paid law firm Niederer Kraft Frey nearly 2 million francs under a 10 million franc ceiling during the March 2023 takeover of Credit Suisse by UBS.

Parliamentary inquiry and evaluation secrecy

The contract dispute led to direct questioning of Swiss Defence Minister Martin Pfister during the parliamentary question time on 21 September 2026. Lawmakers focused on the procurement evaluation handled by Armasuisse, which used the Analytic Hierarchy Process while keeping key scoring mechanisms confidential. The VBS refused to answer media inquiries regarding the exact staffing size of the Armasuisse in-house legal department, citing an ongoing report by the Control Committee of the National Council. Social Democratic National Councillor Ueli Schmezer submitted formal questions demanding transparency on whether procurement standards favoured the American aircraft.

Were the criteria tailored to the F-35?

Regional security pressures and court review

The secrecy surrounding the evaluation criteria has reached the Swiss Federal Supreme Court, which is currently reviewing the matter. The controversy unfolds while European states expand defence budgets following Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, an environment where Switzerland has faced state-sponsored cyberattacks and disinformation. Switzerland continues to lack comprehensive long-range air defence capabilities, and parliament has approved supplementary funding for the fighter fleet. Lawmakers and auditors continue to review whether the allocated funds will cover final delivery and operational requirements.