Salzmann rejects responsibility for F-35 fixed-price failure

Swiss People’s Party Council of States member Werner Salzmann has rejected personal responsibility for the failure to secure a fixed price for Switzerland’s F-35 fighter jets. In an interview with SRF, he said parliament had heard warnings from the Swiss Federal Audit Office but ultimately trusted information from the Federal Department of Defence, Civil Protection, Sport and the administration.

“My responsibility is zero,” Salzmann said when asked to rate his responsibility for the debacle on a scale of one to 10. He said he was willing to admit mistakes but had nothing to acknowledge in this case.

Before parliament made its final decision on the F-35 in 2022, the Federal Audit Office had warned that there was no guarantee of a fixed price. Salzmann said the parliamentary committee had listened to the warning but had to weigh it against information from officials at the department and the administration.

“Based on the arguments, we decided that what the administration told us was correct,” he said. “We listened to the Federal Audit Office, but we did not believe it. In hindsight, one can say that this was a mistake.”

Salzmann said the audit office’s credibility had been limited at the time. He accused its former head, Michel Huissoud, of becoming politically involved in decisions that had already been made and had a legal basis.

Swiss People’s Party parliamentarians had sharply criticised the audit office over its warning, accusing it of acting politically and abusing its power. Salzmann said the committee had listened to the office but had not believed it because of those reservations. He cited its criticism of export rules for weapons components as an example.

“I am glad there have been changes at the top,” Salzmann said. He added that he trusted the current leadership completely and believed it was not politically influenced.

It remains unclear whether the Federal Department of Defence deliberately misled the public over the fixed price. Salzmann said he did not know. Deliberate deception could have criminal implications, but the National Council Control Committee had found no indications of criminally relevant conduct, he said.

Salzmann called for possible legally relevant issues to be examined further, including documents prepared by the law firm working for the defence department that have not yet been reviewed by parliamentary oversight.

He rejected calls from the Social Democratic Party for a parliamentary investigation committee. Such a committee was needed when the facts had not yet been established, he said, but in this case almost all the facts were already on the table. He said he currently saw no need for an investigation of the scale used in the Credit Suisse case.

Salzmann also said parliament would ask questions about the F-35’s operating costs, which critics say have not yet been fully clarified and could be significantly higher than expected.