New Swiss Army Structure Comes Under Fire

, Government plans for further change to Switzerland's militia army have triggered a controversy ahead of a parliamentary debate on the role of the armed forces. Opponents, mainly from the rightwing Swiss People's Party, have criticised the reorganisation as hasty, unreasonable and even unconstitutional. 
 
The defence ministry has also come under fire from the three other main political parties, including the centre-left Social Democrats. 
 
The debate in the House of Representatives during the final week of parliament's autumn session comes three years after voters agreed to a major reform of the armed forces. 
 
But according to the People's Party, the latest proposals are tantamount to a further weakening of the army and could force the country to join an international military alliance. The party wants the government to live up to promises made during an earlier reform to boost the number of army instructors and to reconsider the idea of a smaller core of combat troops. 
 
“The proposal is a typical brainchild of bureaucrats and a lack of instructors leads to a serious loss of expertise,” said parliamentarian Ulrich Schl