Secure data network
Recently, the Federal Council held a debate on a secure data interconnection network that would ensure connectivity between the federal government and the cantons even in crisis situations. Now the ball is in the DDPS's court.
Command and control capability at the federal and cantonal levels in the event of a power blackout and power shortage was a central theme of the 2014 Security Network Exercise, which showed that a prolonged shortage of electricity would create a complex national emergency. One aspect of this would be technically related command and control problems because normal means of communication would not work after a short period of time. Therefore, there is a need for a crisis- and tap-proof, nationwide data interconnection network that would link those federal, cantonal and third-party agencies that are essential to the security and supply of the country. So far, only the army has transmission networks that meet these requirements.
In the future, a secure data network (SDVN) is to enable connections between partners of the Swiss Security Network even in crises and emergencies, i.e. between the command and control facilities of the national government, all federal departments, the cantons and the operators of critical infrastructures (e.g. nuclear power plants or national airports). The SDVN is also to be used for daily communication and secure data exchange.
The SDVN and the specialist applications based on it are also to be protected against cyber attacks. The network is to use existing or planned fiber-optic infrastructure, primarily from the Armed Forces Command and Control Network Switzerland. Network components from other civilian federal agencies will also be added.
The investment for the project is estimated at between 55 and 60 million Swiss francs, with the exact number of connection points still to be agreed with the users. The annual operating costs, which are incurred exclusively for the SDVN, will amount to about 11 million Swiss francs per year, according to current estimates. The operating costs are to be determined in more detail in the course of further clarifications and divided among the users according to the polluter-pays principle.
The Political Platform of the Swiss Security Network (heads of the DDPS and FDJP as well as the presidents of the Conference of Cantonal Justice and Police Directors KKJPD and the Conference of Cantonal Military, Civil Protection and Fire Service Directors RK MZF) welcomes this project. The KKJPD and the RK MZF also unanimously welcomed the project at their annual conference on 13 November 2014.
As a next step, the Federal Council has instructed the DDPS to press ahead with the project and make it more concrete. By the fall, the DDPS will examine distribution keys for the investment and operating costs with the intended users. These will then be presented to the Federal Council. The Federal Council intends to submit a dispatch to parliament on the actual implementation of the SDVN, probably in 2016.
Press release VBS
