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Military power of Switzerland & Austria
Switzerland vs Austria
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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 militaryAustria is a country located in Central Europe with an area of 83,879 km2 (land boundries: 2,524 km and costline 0 km (landlocked)). The capital of Austria is Vienna. The number of inhabitants is 8,935,112.
Austria is constitutionally non-aligned, but is an EU member and actively participates in EU peacekeeping and crisis management operations. Austria is not a member of NATO, but joined NATO’s Partnership for Peace framework.
The Austrian military's inventory includes a mix of domestically-produced and imported weapons systems from European countries and the USA. The Austrian defense industry produces a range of equipment and partners with other countries. More about Austria militaryIf you want to check the comparison in terms of economic ratios check out CompareEconomy.com
Military expenditures
 CH |  AT | |
|---|---|---|
| Military budget: | 6.3 billion $ | 3.2 billion $ |
| Percent of GDP: | 0.7% | 0.74% |
Manpower
| CH | AT | |
|---|---|---|
| Active personnel: | 140,000 | 23,000 |
| Reserve personnel: | 80,000 | 125,600 |
| Available for military: | 1,852,580 | 1,941,110 |
Land Forces
| CH | AT | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Tanks: | 224 | 56 | |
| Armoured fighting vehicles: | 1,808 | 215 | |
| Total artillery: | 176 | 30 | |
| Self-propelled artillery: | 176 | 30 | |
| Rocket artillery: | 0 | 0 |
Air Forces
| CH | AT | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Total aircraft: | 178 | 129 | |
| Fighter aircraft: | 27 | 15 | |
| Multirole aircraft: | 25 | 0 | |
| Attack aircraft: | 0 | 0 | |
| Helicopters: | 57 | 87 | |
| UCAV (combat drone): | 0 | 0 |
Navy
| CH | AT | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Total naval: | 0 | 0 | |
| Aircraftcarriers: | 0 | 0 | |
| Destroyers: | 0 | 0 | |
| Frigates: | 0 | 0 | |
| Corvettes: | 0 | 0 | |
| Submarines: | 0 | 0 |
☢ Nuclear weapons
Switzerland
Does not have nuclear weapons.
Austria
Does not have nuclear weapons.
Military service
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.
Austria
Registration requirement at age 17, the legal minimum age for voluntary military service; 18 is the legal minimum age for compulsory military service (6 months), or optionally, alternative civil/community service (9 months); males 18 to 50 years old in the militia or inactive reserve are subject to compulsory service; in a January 2012 referendum, a majority of Austrians voted in favor of retaining the system of compulsory military service (with the option of alternative/non-military service) instead of switching to a professional army system.
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