Wars

WARS). The wealthier countries vied with each other in hiring them as mercenaries, and the poor but warlike Swiss found the profession of arms a lucrative one. (See ARMY.) Their fall was due in the end to their own indiscipline in the first place, and the rise of the Spanish standing army and its musketeers in the second.

Present-day Army.

Being composed of militia, the Swiss Army contains no forces maintained permanently with the colours with the exception of a corps of instructors, a system which has been followed in some of the self-governing nations of the British Empire and in several of the smaller European nations.

Recruitment and Service.

All male citizens are liable to military service from the year in which their 2oth birthday falls until the year of their 48th birthday. Service may either be rendered personally, or by the payment of a military tax. Volun teering before the legal age is permitted. The military tax is pay able up to the age of 4o. Enlistment takes place in the year of the 19th birthday. Personal service includes attendance for training, active service at home or abroad in defence of the country, and maintenance of public order and security. Men passed fit for auxiliary service pay a tax in lieu of military training for the years in which it would otherwise be performed. After physical training for boys, provided by the cantons under the supervision of the Federal Government, the training is carried out under the military department. After a recruit course of 65 days for infantry and engineers, 90 days for cavalry, 75 days for artillery, air force and fortress troops, and 6o days for departmental troops, members of the active army undergo annual training for 11 to 14 days for 1 o years for sergeants and above and for 7 to 8 years below that rank. Men in the landwehr do 11 days training every 4 years, but cor porals and privates are only called up for one repetition training. There are also compulsory musketry courses, performed in rifle clubs. Officers are trained in cadet schools for 45 to 8o days according to arm of the service. There are special courses up to the rank of captain, lasting for 3o to 5o days, and, after attaining that rank three courses lasting 6o, 42, and 21 days respectively for training general staff officers.

Strength and Organization.

The budget effectives (1927) provide a permanent training staff of 267. The training cadres number 7,578 employed on an average of 32 days in a year; 24,78o recruits undergo courses varying from 62 to 92 days, and 126,059 undergo 13 to 16 days refresher courses. There must also be taken into account the preliminary training :-24,00o men undergoing physical training, 8,000 training with arms, 13,00o undergoing junior musketry training, and 3,00o in the cadet corps. About

240,000 do compulsory and 16o,000 optional training in the rifle clubs. Account must also be taken of the military police, which is under the commander-in-chief of the army and free from can tonal laws when acting with the troops.

The army, which consists of a first line (elite) for ages from 20 to 32 inclusive, landwehr for ages from 33 to 4o inclusive, and landsturm for ages from 41 to 48 inclusive, has since July 1925 been organized in 6 divisions and army troops. The 1st, 3rd, 5th and 6th divisions each contain one mountain brigade. The 2nd and 4th divisions contain no mountain troops. The composition of a division calls for no special comment except for the presence therein of cyclist companies, machine-gun companies and 4 motor transport columns. A mountain brigade contains 6 battalions of first-line mountain infantry, and 3 of landwehr mountain infantry, 2 mountain batteries, 1 company of mountain engineers and the usual auxiliary services, all equipped for mountain warfare. The mobile artillery in the army troops is tractor-drawn.

Higher Command.

The Federal Council is the supreme head. One of the federal councillors is head of the military department, the central authority in peace time for dealing with military ques tions. If a levy of troops is ordered on a large scale the federal assembly appoints a commander-in-chief of the army. There is a general staff under the military department and a national defence committee, with the head of the military department as chairman and the chief of the general staff, 3 army corps com manders and the officer commanding infantry as members. The committee ceases to function when a commander-in-chief is appointed. Switzerland is divided territorially into 8 military areas with headquarters at I. Lausanne, II. Bienne, III. Berne, IV. Aarau, V. ZUrich, VI. Bellinzona, VII. Altdorf, VIII. Coire, for organizing the territorial services in time of war. The terri tory is also divided into 6 divisional military districts with head quarters at I. Morges, II. Fribourg, III. Berne, IV. Aarau, V. Zurich, and VI. St. Gallen. Under the above-mentioned 3 Army Corps Commands the troops in the divisional areas are grouped as follows :—First Corps, the 1st and 2nd divisions, St. Maurice garrison and army troops; second corps, the 3rd and 4th divisions and army troops; third corps, the 5th and 6th divisions, St. Gothard garrison and army troops. There is a Central Military School, officer schools and courses for the different arms and for non-commissioned officers. There are permanent works at St. Maurice and St. Gothard. The annual budget shows an expendi ture of about 2,000,000 francs on forts and fortifications.