Will France Invade Switzerland? Swiss Army Preparing For Just That
Will France invade Switzerland? The Swiss sure seem to think so, if their unusual war games are any sign. This last August Switzerland held military exercises that simulated a not-too-distant future where debt-ridden France has begun invading their neighbors. Swiss officials, however, say that this is not based on any current military threat from France and is merely a fictional scenario.
The rather specific details of the Swiss war games however are worth a raised eyebrow, though. The scenario sees France as no longer a nation, BBC News reports. Instead, the country has broken apart into warring factions, some of whom have decided to target Switzerland to reclaim “stolen money.”
One exercise involves a splinter faction based in the Jura region. Named “Saonia” in the scenario, the faction would launch attacks against Switzerland to reclaim money supposedly stolen from France. Another war game, named “Operation Duplex-Barbara,” involves a three-point invasion. The enemy forces would come through Neufchatel, Geneva, and Lausanne.
Who is behind France’s invasion of Switzerland? The oddly specific war games describe many of the attacks being lead by the fictional Dijon Free Brigade, or BLD, a paramilitary group. The Swiss exercises say the BLD’s attacks intend to reclaim “money that Switzerland had stolen” from France.
Some might wonder if this “stolen money” may refer to the controversial secrecy of Switzerland’s banking system. Swiss banks have come under fire in recent times for hiding foreign citizens’ wealth from taxation at home.
As The Telegraph reports, Swiss military officials say the war games have nothing to do with any real threat from France. Plans for the recent exercises were actually drawn up before France and the rest of Europe began putting pressure on Switzerland to change their banking practices, the Swiss officials say.
In 2010 the Swiss army held war games that simulated a similar scenario of warring factions rising after a collapse of the euro currency.
Switzerland has not fought in a war for nearly 200 years. Regardless, as one official puts it, the Swiss army must prepare for any and all “threats of the 21st century,” including the possibility of France invading Switzerland.
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