Subscribe to our newsletter. S witzerland is a politically neutral country, yet it has more soldiers per capita than any other Western democracy. According to Swiss military dogma, a powerful citizen army is the best way to preserve Switzerland's neutrality and keep neighboring countries from invading Swiss territory. That statement may have been hyperbole, but the fact remains that nearly 400,000 of Switzerland's roughly 6 million inhabitants belong to the armed forces.
Conscription is alive and well in Switzerland.
When a male Swiss reaches the age of 20, he must undergo 15 weeks of military training. Until 1996, being a conscientious objector didn't count in Switzerland. It's now possible to serve in a noncombatant role, although this isn't common. Like members of a volunteer fire department or a fraternal lodge, citizen soldiers tend to look out for each other in the business world. Photo copyright Corel.