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Umm, Switzerland??? Significant portion of gold deposits, highest standard of living, etc. Nobody seems to want it though. Their "army" is a few thousand tops.

Umm, Switzerland??? Significant portion of gold deposits, highest standard of living, etc. Nobody seems to want it though. Their "army" is a few thousand tops. Their vehicle is a Mercedes Benz G Class, seesh.

arethuza 16y ago
What a truly awful example. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Military_of_Switzerland http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Military_of_Switzerland "The armed forces consist of 134,886 people on active duty" The Swiss have a centuries long reputation for being pretty tough - (that's why the Pope chose to have Swiss Guards). Military service is mandatory. "Switzerland has one of the highest militia gun ownership rates in the world." They are probably the only country in the world that has blast and fallout shelters for rather more than 100% of its population. And have you actually seen the landscape of Switzerland - it's the European version of Afghanistan.
- nickpinkston 16y ago
  Yea, there's a reason the Nazi's never tried invading... Today, every able male has an an assault rifle and is required to maintain their marksmanship - which is a national past-time with +200m ranges in most towns. There are hidden underground airfields, people trained/armed to blow up tunnels at a moments notice. Add to that crazy terrain, weather, a homogeneous/close-knit population, a distributes governance structure, etc. - you get the one of the most defendable country's EVER!
rdl 16y ago
The Swiss Army is actually pretty substantial. Approximately 200k men under arms, which for a country with their population, is decent. Their policy is armed neutrality, not just neutrality. The G-class is a great light patrol vehicle; better than the UK's Land Rover or the HMMWV for many tasks. They have F-18s, Leopard main battle tanks, lots of fixed fortifications, etc.
jasonkester 16y ago
Have you been to Switzerland? Take a look at the terrain you'll be fighting in. Then notice that the "army" is "everybody". Then look at how easy it is to go around the whole country instead. There's a reason why everybody who's tried to take over Europe has decided to go around the spiky little neutral country in the middle. It's just good sense.
- philwelch 16y ago
  "Everybody" is an overstatement. Switzerland was overrun by the French during the French Revolutionary Wars and was more or less allied with Napoleon during the Napoleonic Wars. It wasn't until after the fall of Napoleon that Switzerland moved to their policy of armed neutrality, a policy which survived both World Wars.
ebaysucks 16y ago
It's because Switzerland is civilized. A civil nation has no active army but a culture of self-defense and gun ownership.

arethuza 16y ago

What a truly awful example. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Military_of_Switzerland http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Military_of_Switzerland "The armed forces consist of 134,886 people on active duty" The Swiss have a centuries long reputation for being pretty tough - (that's why the Pope chose to have Swiss Guards). Military service is mandatory. "Switzerland has one of the highest militia gun ownership rates in the world." They are probably the only country in the world that has blast and fallout shelters for rather more than 100% of its population. And have you actually seen the landscape of Switzerland - it's the European version of Afghanistan.

nickpinkston 16y ago
Yea, there's a reason the Nazi's never tried invading... Today, every able male has an an assault rifle and is required to maintain their marksmanship - which is a national past-time with +200m ranges in most towns. There are hidden underground airfields, people trained/armed to blow up tunnels at a moments notice. Add to that crazy terrain, weather, a homogeneous/close-knit population, a distributes governance structure, etc. - you get the one of the most defendable country's EVER!

rdl 16y ago

The Swiss Army is actually pretty substantial. Approximately 200k men under arms, which for a country with their population, is decent. Their policy is armed neutrality, not just neutrality. The G-class is a great light patrol vehicle; better than the UK's Land Rover or the HMMWV for many tasks. They have F-18s, Leopard main battle tanks, lots of fixed fortifications, etc.

jasonkester 16y ago

Have you been to Switzerland? Take a look at the terrain you'll be fighting in. Then notice that the "army" is "everybody". Then look at how easy it is to go around the whole country instead. There's a reason why everybody who's tried to take over Europe has decided to go around the spiky little neutral country in the middle. It's just good sense.

philwelch 16y ago
"Everybody" is an overstatement. Switzerland was overrun by the French during the French Revolutionary Wars and was more or less allied with Napoleon during the Napoleonic Wars. It wasn't until after the fall of Napoleon that Switzerland moved to their policy of armed neutrality, a policy which survived both World Wars.

ebaysucks 16y ago

It's because Switzerland is civilized. A civil nation has no active army but a culture of self-defense and gun ownership.