Defense Minister Martin Pfister Launches Bids for the 6 Missing F-35s
The federal councilor has convinced his colleagues to sell personal belongings to finance the last fighter jets.
Martin Pfister, the federal councilor from Zug, inherited the file of purchasing F-35s from the United States, which had been particularly mishandled under Viola Amherd’s tenure. The Americans, however, were inflexible and added costs that will only allow the purchase of 30 combat jets instead of 36. This is possible only if Parliament approves an additional credit of 394 million, which would reach the maximum amount authorized following the popular vote of 6.429 billion.
But Martin Pfister is not one to back down easily. He sought other means to still acquire the missing aircraft. Ideally, to stay within the legal framework, finding a donor willing to help Switzerland defend itself would have been best. Or he could have funded it himself. Since the federal councilor is not rich enough for that, he asked all his colleagues for help, and each will put up an item for auction that they hold dear. It’s uncertain if this will be enough to purchase the six jets (costing over 200 million each), but Martin Pfister hopes to fund at least a few, and for once without resorting to a VAT increase.
Context: Defense Minister Martin Pfister is resorting to creative means to finance the purchase of 6 F-35 fighter jets after facing cost overruns in the procurement process.
Fact Check: The article discusses a fictional scenario of Swiss politicians auctioning personal items to collect funds for military aircraft, not an actual event.
