National Defense: Martin Pfister launches bids for the missing 6 F

Defense Minister Martin Pfister Launches Auctions for 6 Missing F-35s

Defense Minister Martin Pfister has convinced his colleagues to sell personal items to finance the purchase of the remaining fighter jets.

Minister Pfister inherited the F-35 acquisition file from the US, which had been particularly poorly managed under Viola Amherd’s tenure. The inflexible Americans added extra costs that will only allow the purchase of 30 combat jets instead of 36. This is only possible if Parliament approves an additional credit of CHF 394 million, reaching the maximum authorized amount after the popular vote of CHF 6.429 billion.

However, Pfister is determined to find other ways to acquire the missing aircraft. Ideally, it would have been to find a donor to help Switzerland defend itself or to finance it from his own pocket. Since the federal councilor is not rich enough for that, he has asked for help from all his colleagues, each of whom will auction off an item close to their hearts. This may not be enough to purchase all six jets (over CHF 200 million each), but Pfister hopes to fund a few without resorting to a VAT hike.

Minister Pfister is auctioning off his trombone, an instrument he plays skillfully and used during his election. There is no fixed starting price, and the instrument will go to the highest bidder at the end of the auctions, which start on April 1st and last until the end of the month.