F-35 report finds Switzerland never secured a fixed price

Switzerland never had a fixed price for its purchase of F-35 fighter jets, according to a report by the National Council’s parliamentary audit committee, as reported by Swiss broadcaster SRF. The committee sharply criticised the Federal Department of Defence, Civil Protection, Sport and the Armed Forces, known as VBS, under its former head Viola Amherd.

SRF parliamentary correspondent Dominik Meier said the negotiations had been handled naively. The principle of having several people review key decisions was disregarded, a law firm unfamiliar with US law was involved in the negotiations, and some senior officials never read the contracts in full, he said.

Meier said Amherd had been determined to keep within the budget after the narrowly decided vote in favour of a new fighter jet. The government wanted a fixed price and failed to recognise that the negotiations and contracts did not guarantee one.

The audit committee rated Amherd’s leadership as inadequate, saying she had not sufficiently fulfilled her supervisory and steering responsibilities. A report by the Swiss Federal Audit Office had already questioned the fixed price four years ago. Rather than seek renewed negotiations with the United States, Amherd questioned the audit office’s conclusions, Meier said.

When the United States warned of possible additional costs two years ago, Amherd waited eight months before informing the full Federal Council. She did so only after announcing her resignation, which the audit committee criticised as too late.

The findings have not led to direct consequences for those responsible. Amherd is no longer in office, and the key official involved in the negotiations no longer works for the VBS. Several other positions have also changed hands.

The committee wants to examine whether employees can still be held responsible for breaches of duty after leaving their jobs. In this case, however, the issue concerns documents that were not properly archived. Meier said the committee’s conclusions appeared limited in relation to the damage caused.

The committee raised the possibility that people closely involved in the process had knowingly accepted the existing ambiguity, suggesting that the public may have been misled. However, when asked, it said it had found no evidence of deliberate deception and was cautious about assessing possible motives.

Because of the higher costs, the Federal Council now wants to buy 30 F-35 jets instead of 36. Inflation means that even the reduced purchase will require additional funding. The National Council is due to decide on the issue next week.

Security policy lawmakers from the FDP and SVP want to increase the additional funding substantially, allowing Switzerland to buy 36 rather than 30 jets. The total cost remains uncertain: only the price of the first eight jets is currently known.