Military power of European Union EU & Switzerland
European Union EU vs Switzerland
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The European Union (EU) is a political and economic union countries that are located in Europe with an area of 4,233,255 km2 The capital of Ukraine is Brussels. The number of inhabitants estimated is about 447 million. Members of EU: Germany, Latvia, France, Lithuania, Estonia, Portugal, Belgium, Austria, Bulgaria, Croatia, Sweden, Cyprus, Czechia, Denmark, Finland, Ireland, Hungary, Greece, Italy, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia and Spain.
The European Union were not devised as a military alliance because most of the members are in the North Atlantic Alliance. Since the withdrawal of the UK, France is the only member recognised as a nuclear weapon state. Italy, Germany, the Netherlands and Belgium participate in NATO nuclear sharing.
Switzerland is a country located in Central Europe with an area of 41,285 km2 (land boundries: 1,770 km and costline 0 km (landlocked)). The capital of Switzerland is Bern. The number of inhabitants is 8,570,146.
Switzerland has long maintained a policy of military neutrality, but does periodically participate in EU, NATO, Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe. Swiss law excludes participation in combat operations for peace enforcement, and Swiss units will only participate in operations under the mandate of the UN or OSCE. The Swiss Armed Forces inventory includes a mix of domestically-produced and imported weapons systems. The United States is the leading supplier of military armaments.
More about Switzerland militaryIf you want to check the comparison in terms of economic ratios check out CompareEconomy.com
Military expenditures
 EU |  CH | |
|---|---|---|
| Military budget: | 245.11 billion $ | 5.3 billion $ |
| Percent of GDP: | 0% | 0.7% |
Manpower
| EU | CH | |
|---|---|---|
| Active personnel: | 1,166,519 | 140,000 |
| Reserve personnel: | 1,801,532 | 80,000 |
| Available for military: | 92,594,951 | 1,852,580 |
Land Forces
| EU | CH | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Tanks: | 4,253 | 224 | |
| Armoured fighting vehicles: | 29,418 | 1,808 | |
| Total artillery: | 6,065 | 176 | |
| Self-propelled artillery: | 1,872 | 176 | |
| Rocket artillery: | 667 | 0 |
Air Forces
| EU | CH | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Total aircraft: | 5,420 | 178 | |
| Fighter aircraft: | 453 | 27 | |
| Multirole aircraft: | 874 | 25 | |
| Attack aircraft: | 162 | 0 | |
| Helicopters: | 2,454 | 57 | |
| UCAV (combat drone): | 41 | 0 |
Navy
| EU | CH | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Total naval: | 1,306 | 0 | |
| Aircraftcarriers: | 7 | 0 | |
| Destroyers: | 19 | 0 | |
| Frigates: | 69 | 0 | |
| Corvettes: | 23 | 0 | |
| Submarines: | 48 | 0 |
☢ Nuclear weapons
European Union EU
Data not available
Switzerland
Does not have nuclear weapons.
Military service
European Union EU
Data not available
Switzerland
19-26 years of age for male compulsory military service; 18 years of age for voluntary male and female military service; every Swiss male has to serve at least 260 days in the armed forces; conscripts receive 18 weeks of mandatory training, followed by seven 3-week intermittent recalls for training during the next 10 years.