All able-bodied Swiss men from the age of 18 until 30 are required to serve in the armed forces or in its alternative, the civilian service. Military service for women is voluntary.
This obligation extends to all male citizens, regardless of whether they are Swiss by birth or naturalisation.
Once they become Swiss citizens and are between the ages of 18 and 30, they can expect to be conscripted.
Some men, however, are exempted from this rule.
Let’s say a person who becomes naturalised in his 20s has already served in the armed forces of his country of origin. In this case, he will not be conscripted in Switzerland, but only if his service abroad was equivalent – in both intensity and duration – to that of the Swiss army.
This includes 18 weeks of basic training, followed by six refresher courses lasting three weeks each, for nine years.
However in some countries, like France for example, the military obligation for dual citizens is much lighter, according to Swiss MP Pascal Schmid, who said that about 800 men who have both French and Swiss passports (but who live in Switzerland) opt to complete their service in France.
But this could change
Schmid, from the Swiss People's Party (SVP) had submitted a parliamentary motion seeking to impose Swiss service on dual citizens whose military stint abroad is not up to Switzerland’s standards.
“Bi-nationals have a clear advantage,” he said, adding that in the last five years, the "under-staffed" Swiss army has been short of nearly 5,000 recruits precisely because the law allows dual nationals to undergo their military obligation in their other country.
Schmid is therefore calling for a change in the current legislation “to restore military justice".
"I cannot imagine that a majority in the parliament wants to maintain this situation," he said.
In the very least, some other deputies will vote in favour of Schmid’s motion.
Green Liberal Party's Patrick Hässig, for instance, also thinks the motion is right “from the point of view of equal treatment – that dual citizens have to serve in Switzerland".
Yet another MP, Martin Candinas (The Centre), is supporting the motion as well.
"Dual citizenship is desired and has advantages, but also disadvantages. You can't just want to benefit from the advantages."
Therefore, he finds it “offensive that dual citizens can so easily exempt themselves from compulsory military service in Switzerland".
Not everyone in the parliament is siding with Schmidt, though.
Green MP Balthasar Glättli is arguing that the army is currently not dependent on the "lost" recruits – that is, those dual nationals who chose to serve in their countries of origin.
He argues that Switzerland’s army has enough soldiers, so the motion is attempting to solve a "problem that does not even exist".
What happens next?
As with any motion, MPs in both chambers of the parliament will vote on the issue.
If it passes, it will be submitted to a mandatory referendum.
At that point, voters (including dual nationals) will have their say on whether this initiative should become a law.
It is too early at this point to know which way the vote will go.
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