Urs Loher becomes new head of armaments
At a meeting on December 2, 2022, Urs Loher was appointed as the new director of the Armasuisse Federal Office of Armaments. As of August 1, 2023, he will take over from Martin Sonderegger, who will retire at the end of August.
Urs Loher will According to a statement of the Federal will take up his post as Armasuisse's new Chief of Armaments on August 1, 2023. Responsibilities will remain with the current Chief of Armaments until the end of August 2023, Martin Sondereggerwho will have reached his normal retirement age by that time.
The search committee's application process showed that Loher met the requirements profile, the statement added. In particular, he has strategic and operational experience in the defense industry. In addition, the 56-year-old Dr. Urs Loher brings a good understanding of Switzerland's security policy system and is familiar with the international arms industry, according to the federal government.
Dr. Urs Loher studied at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich and graduated as Dipl. El.-Ing. ETH in 1992. In 1994, he completed postgraduate studies in information technology, and in 1998 he received his doctorate as Dr. sc. Techn. ETH. The proclaimed successor of Sonderegger had professional stations among others at Swisscom and around 2002 as deputy director of the former Federal Office of the Air Force. This path paved his way into the DDPS. Since 2019, he has been CEO of Thales Suisse AG and President of the Aeronautical, Security & Defence (ASD) industry sector at Swissmem, among other positions.
Source: Federal Council/Editorial Office
