Switzerland Prepares Parliamentary Investigation into F-35 Purchase

The Social Democratic Party of Switzerland is seeking to establish a parliamentary commission to investigate the purchase of U.S.-made F-35 fighter jets.

The initiative will be submitted for consideration after the parliamentary group discusses it, Swissinfo reports.

The commission is expected to determine whether there were individual violations or institutional failures within the country’s defense agency. It will also examine possible discrimination against other tenderers and the alleged deliberate distortion of procurement and operating costs in favor of the U.S.-made aircraft.

In addition, the parliamentary commission will explore whether the Federal Department of Defense provided false information regarding dependence on the supplier.

The Social Democrats are expected to receive support for the initiative from the Green Party. At the same time, the chances of persuading the parliament’s center-right majority to establish an investigative commission remain low.

In April, several political parties called on the government to abandon the F-35 fighter jets. They argued that more than 80% of the population opposed the purchase of the aircraft.

Switzerland signed a contract to purchase 36 F-35A fighter jets on September 19, 2022. In May this year, Lockheed Martin began assembling the first aircraft.