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Comment by immmmmm | Hacker News Reader

I understand now better why my country (Switzerland) wants to purchase 30-ish of those for "National Skies Protection". It is well in line with their past strategies and accomplishments:

1) Provide a sky patrol, but on only on office hours (9 - 17).

2) Buy for 1B CHF worth of radar, that would unfortunately lock on cows pasturing.

3) Buy for 0.5B CHF worth of software, then discard it because it's incompatible.

4) etc, etc, etc ....

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(1) is hilarious. Do they also expect enemy combatants to make an appointment and provide the location of the meet :D

They require strict observation of Robert's Rules of Engagement.

it was subcontracted to france and italy. i think they now do provide this service 24/7 due to minor backlash. however, the time a jet is in the air, the "enemy " is already in another country.

They’re a neutral nation surrounded by countries which are at the moment friendly. Neutrality incentivizes them to stay armed and to do their patrols but Switzerland has no reason to expect a war from France, Germany or Italy anytime soon.

> no reason to expect a war from France, Germany or Italy

Liechtenstein, on the other hand...

https://www.warhistoryonline.com/history/witzerland-invaded-...

Switzerland would also be bombed flat in the event anyone dedicated enough to go to war with the world's bank actually did so.

This is where people would go "ah but [shelters, etc.]", but there would be nothing to leave the shelters to return to. The kind of opponent they would actually face in a conventional conflict is likely not a just one.

Well let’s say I do concede the point; it’s a good thing they are a neutral and armed nation with their own Diplomacy Corp and Intelligence surrounded by friendly nations.

I wasn't really arguing anything in particular I just think the [Swiss equivalent of a wehr-aboo, i.e. people who go on holiday to Switzerland and come back telling stories about how secure it is] don't understand the kind of opponent the Swiss might actually face.

Well, also large numbers of French, Germans, and Italians commute into CH every day, attacking your own citizens is considered bad.

Could you possibly adopt the Irish model and just get someone else to do it?

Germany have a few working planes i think.

  > Germany have a few working planes i think.

Oh, yes, history has proven that we want cats guarding the milk, ahem, Germans protecting other European nations from invasion. ))

We are well past that mentality here. Germans basically keep EU going not only financially which I consider a win overall for Europe despite its drawbacks.

Not another Versaille hanging over them to humiliate and keep the nation poor to piss off somebody down the line.

It was intentionally tongue in cheek.

I love the EU nations online =)

Yes, of course, I'm well aware that Germany of today is not the Germany of 1939. Otherwise I wouldn't have Bosch appliances at home. ))

  > Germans basically keep EU going not only financially

This could be interpreted as meaning that Germany _has_ conquered all of Europe, finally!

Indeed! Let's protect our col...common wealth ourselves!

Do you have more info on (2)? I couldn't find any info from a quick google search.

yes, in french, via ggl translate:

"Apparently it works in the plains but in the mountains, when for example a cow moves on the slopes, the radar identifies the animal as an enemy object", explained the Minister of Defense, Ueli Maurer.

to my knowledge, no cows have been hit by missiles so far.

https://www.rts.ch/info/suisse/6619651-un-nouveau-radar-de-l...

I mean as a swiss person, your biggest industry (watches) exists almost entirely out of "it looks cool". Rich Militaries buy the F-35 because it's a cool toy, in the same way a rich businessman buys a Patel Phillipe. Not because he needs to tell time, but because he wants to have something fun to play with and look at when he has free time.

i don't think our biggest industry is watch nowadays.. but i agree with your explanation!

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