"Confederation and cantons can discuss with each other here on an equal footing"

What appeals to you about the job of SVS delegate?

Martin von Muralt: The SVS Office is controlled and financed equally by the cantons and the federal government. Both levels of government are therefore equally represented in the SVS bodies. Representatives of cities, municipalities and the private sector can also participate in the working groups. The Swiss Security Network, which I have the privilege of coordinating, is therefore nationally active and broadly based, which makes my work very interesting.The SVS is active in various security areas: in public security (e.g. preventing and combating radicalization and violent extremism), in crisis management, in cyber security and other fields. Being a delegate gives you insight into civil protection, police and military environments. We also look ahead to future challenges. So I'm on the road in a diverse and multidisciplinary way. You moderate the dialog between the federal government and the cantons.

Does the exchange between the different levels work?

The Swiss Security Network has two governing bodies - political and strategic. These are the only bodies in the security sector in which the federal government and the cantons can discuss matters at eye level. At the political level, it is of great importance that the two Federal Councilors Viola Amherd, as head of the Federal Department of Defense, Civil Protection and Sport (DDPS), and Elisabeth Baume-Schneider, as head of the Federal Department of Justice and Police (FDJP), meet the presidents of the KKJPD (Conference of Cantonal Justice and Police Directors) and the RK MZF (Intergovernmental Conference on Military, Civil Defense and Fire Services) a few times a year. I have a kind of mediator's task and am responsible for ensuring that those responsible can exchange views and ultimately reach decisions that can be approved by a majority. This work is comparable to Switzerland's Good Offices in the international arena, where the country primarily has a mediating role. This is also how the SVS office is to be understood.

What security policy issues is the SVS currently focusing on?

On the one hand, the cybersecurity issue, keyword ransomware, which has recently affected Switzerland at both federal and cantonal level. This topic is at the top of the agenda. Furthermore, the new State Secretariat in the DDPS that the Federal Council launched in April 2023 should be mentioned. The State Secretariat will develop and coordinate strategic principles for the overall further development of Switzerland's security policy. What is important for us is how cooperation with it is organized. Also on the agenda is crisis management by the federal government and the cantons.The Security Union Exercise (SVU) 2019 showed that Switzerland needs a secure data sharing system (SDVS) against terrorist and cyber attacks.

When will Switzerland have communications that also ensure successful civil protection?

In this respect, the lead does not lie with us, but with the Federal Office for Civil Protection (FOCP). Of course, we are regularly informed by the FOCP about the status of the work. At the SVU 2019, weaknesses in crisis management became apparent. Fifteen recommendations were derived from this.

What have those responsible implemented to date, and where are they still lagging badly behind?

Implementation of the measures takes place at all three levels of government. Responsibility for implementation lies with the respective organizations. In the case of recommendations addressed to the federal government, the Chancellor is responsible for monitoring.The cities and the cantons are sovereign and autonomous in implementation. To my knowledge, there is no overview of the implementation of measures at the federal, cantonal and municipal levels. Ensuring such could be interesting in the evaluation of the next exercise.The army is primarily responsible for self-protection in the cyber domain. However, one recommendation of the SVU 2019 is that the army could also provide targeted support to civilian authorities with its know-how, if required. The "Cyber Command" project in the DDPS is under development. This command should be operational from January 2024. As you say, however, it is primarily a matter of self-protection for the armed forces. The overall cyber concept serves to initiate the necessary measures for further development in the area of cyberspace, electromagnetic space, and information and communication technology.As you know, Switzerland has a National Center for Cyber Security (NCSC). This federal competence center for cybersecurity is the first point of contact for business, administration, educational institutions and the general public on cybersecurity issues. Once the DDPS "Cyber Command" has taken up its activities, there will certainly be a need for coordination between it and the NCSC as to who specifically takes on which civilian tasks and where they complement each other.The first SVU in 2014 dealt with the power shortage situation and the pandemic.

Would the management of the pandemic have worked less well without the 2014 SVU?

Authorities at both the federal and cantonal or municipal levels that took the subsequent recommendations of SVU 14 seriously were better prepared for crisis management during the effective pandemic or last winter's energy shortage than those that ignored the recommendations. There are good and not so good students that I will not name here. However, certain organizations have invested in emergency generators to have a backup in case of an emergency - to name just one example.

Does monitoring exist to be able to send reminders to defaulters?

Yes, such a body exists. At the federal level, the Federal Chancellery is responsible for monitoring the measures resulting from the security exercises. The Federal Chancellery has prepared a monitoring report for the attention of the cantons. But in federalist Switzerland, the decision on implementation lies with the cantons themselves, as we know, and the federal government cannot "talk them into it".

Which scenario do you want to play through?

For the first time, a so-called Integrated Exercise 2025 (IU 25) will take place in two years. It is the combination of the security association exercise and the strategic command exercise. With IU 25, all levels of government are to be exercised together for once: Federal Council as well as cantonal government councils and city leaders are integrated in it. The concept is to be adopted by the end of 2023.

What scenario will be played out at Exercise 2025?

The topic of the exercise was submitted to the members of the operational platform of the Swiss Security Network for consultation. The SVS political platform has subsequently defined an exercise scenario, which has not yet been officially published and still needs to be worked on. The goal is to have a scenario that allows us to exercise the processes and organizations that we want to assess. The IU-25 concept is in process at the Federal Chancellery. The Federal Council must ultimately approve it. Therefore, I cannot provide any further information on the upcoming exercise.