Switzerland to spend nearly $250 million to upgrade nuclear bunkers

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Lauren Taylor Anchor

By Lauren Taylor (Anchor), Roey Hadar (Producer), Harry Fogle (Video Editor)

With the threat of Russian aggression moving beyond its invasion of Ukraine and NATO telling its members to have a “wartime mindset,” neutral Switzerland is planning to spend hundreds of millions of dollars to revamp its network of nuclear bunkers. The facilities are part of a law the country passed in 1963 requiring bunker space to be made available for all 9 million of the country’s residents.

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The Swiss government will invest nearly $250 million to upgrade the aging spaces. Many of Switzerland’s 370,000 bunkers are now storage rooms or wine cellars. Likewise, many more have fallen into a state of disrepair due to a lack of nuclear threat and general disuse over the years.

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Last week, Reuters followed a Swiss crew inspecting an out-of-date bunker. The crew found grass covering the entrance and a tunnel full of cobwebs inside. Local officials noted this is a common issue, as the bunkers have been a low priority for a long time.

However, they also noted that Russia’s invasion of Ukraine prompted Swiss residents to think more about the bunkers.

The Swiss government plans to inspect both private and public bunkers around the country. Under Swiss law, a private bunker owner has a year to fix their facility or pay roughly $900 per person who would need to use a public shelter.

Switzerland is not a member of NATO but is surrounded by NATO members France, Germany, Italy and non-member ally Austria.

Tags: NATO, Nuclear War, Nuclear weapons, Russia, Russia-Ukraine War, Switzerland

LAUREN TAYLOR: With Russia threatening aggression beyond its invasion of Ukraine and NATO telling its members to have a wartime mindset, neutral Switzerland is planning to spend hundreds of millions of dollars to revamp its network of nuclear bunkers.

A law Switzerland passed in 1963 requires bunker space to be available to all nine million of the country’s residents.

And while many of the country’s 370,000 bunkers have turned into storage rooms or wine cellars, the Swiss government will invest nearly $250 million to upgrade the aging bunker spaces.

The Swiss government plans to upgrade older bunkers and tighten regulations by removing some exceptions to the existing rules.

Many of the decades-old bunkers are in disrepair, between the relative lack of a nuclear threat in recent decades and their general disuse. Last week, Reuters followed a Swiss crew inspecting an out-of-date bunker with grass covering the entrance and a tunnel full of cobwebs inside. Local officials noted this is a fairly common issue, as the bunkers have been a low priority for a long time.

But they also noted that Russia’s invasion of Ukraine prompted Swiss residents to think more about the condition of their bunkers.

Switzerland is not a member of NATO but is surrounded by NATO member states France, Germany, Italy, as well as non-member NATO ally Austria.

Under Swiss law, the owner has a year to fix it or has to pay roughly $900 per person to cover the cost of putting the people who would need it into a public shelter.

For Straight Arrow News, I’m Lauren Taylor.

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