Switzerland has a lot going on. There are the mountains, the lakes, the delicious chocolate, the less-delicious cheese. Oh, and the money, the warehouses full of money. No wonder they’re worried about someone crashing through the borders and taking it all. Specifically, a bankrupt France.
The Swiss aren’t just worried about an invading force coming after their money. They’re actively preparing for an invasion. Back in August, the Swiss army carried out an exercise called “Operation Duplex-Barbara” that envisaged a French force from the Jura region storming across the borders to take back the “money that Switzerland had stolen” from them. Seriously. “For its credibility, the Swiss army must work (to ward against) threats of the 21st century,” local leader Antoine Vielliard told a newspaper in Lausanne.
OK, to be fair, it’s important for any army to uphold its credibility. But jeez, could they maybe pick a less laughable scenario? Switzerland hasn’t been invaded by a foreign country since the Napoleonic Wars, and these days, France tends to be better at waving white flags than invading neighbouring countries. Daniel Berger, a Swiss captain, did explain to the press that it the exercise was actually designed to prepare for any invading force. Which, again, shouldn’t really be an issue unless we somehow all travel back to the turn of the 19th century.
And, by the way, don’t mess with the Swiss. Despite their being neutral, they’re willing to blow up mountains to keep invaders out. [Telegraph]