Thomas Süssli (born 24 September 1966) is a Swiss Lieutenant General. Since 1 January 2020, he has served as the Chief of the Armed Forces. He succeeded Philippe Rebord.
Thomas Süssli | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | 24 September 1966 Zürich, Switzerland |
| Allegiance |  Switzerland |
Branch | Swiss Armed Forces |
Service years | 1995–2025 |
Rank |  Korpskommandant |
| Commands | Chief of the Armed Forces of Switzerland |
Biography
editSüssli worked in the private sector in the banking and IT realms before becoming a full-time officer in 2015. In 2019, he was chosen to succeed Philippe Rebord as Chief of the Armed Forces, with his selection being viewed by observers as unusual considering his background.[1][2][3][4] Rebord's formal retirement ceremony was held on 5 December 2019, and Süssli formally became the Armed Forces chief on 1 January 2020.[5][6]
Tenure
editIn late 2025 it was reported that Süssli opposed the planned introduction of Microsoft Office 365 across the military, calling it both too risky for holding confidential data and too expensive. In a letter to the Federal Chancellery, he demanded an immediate halt to the project and the creation of a separate, secure IT infrastructure for the Swiss army. [7] [8]This was revealed due to a Swiss freedom of information act request asking for some of his correspondence in relation to the matter.[9]
Decorations and awards
editSüssli has been awarded the following decorations:[10]
  | ||
 |
 |
.png){kind=small} |
| Length of Service Decoration with three golden rosettes | ||
| Pistol (Level 1) | Military sport (Level 1) | Namibia Mission Insignia |
References
edit- ↑ "Cyberdefence specialist to be new army chief". SWI swissinfo.ch.
- ↑ "Thomas Süssli wird neuer Armeechef".
- ↑ "Informatiker und Ex-Banker: Thomas Süssli ist der neue Armeechef". Aargauer Zeitung.
- ↑ "Überrumpelte Offiziere legen sich Erklärung zurecht – der neue Armeechef sei ein Charmebolzen". Aargauer Zeitung.
- ↑ "Switzerland: The new head of the army has been inducted – Switzerland". En24 News. 5 December 2019. Archived from the original on 30 December 2019. Retrieved 27 December 2019.
- ↑ "Armée: le chef de l'armée Philippe Rebord passe le relais à son successeur Thomas Süssli au Château de Chillon". Le Nouvelliste. 5 December 2019. Retrieved 10 January 2020.
- ↑ "Too risky: Army chief Süssli says no to Microsoft Office 365". blue News. Retrieved 14 March 2026.
- ↑ Süssli, Thomas (18 September 2025). "M365 - Unausgewogenes Kosten-Leistungs-Verhältnis" (PDF). Oeffentlichkeitsgesetz.ch. Retrieved 20 March 2026.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ Fichter, Adrienne (31 October 2025). "Der Armeechef stemmt sich gegen Microsoft". Republik (in German).
- ↑ "Readout of Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark. A. Milley's Meeting with Switzerland Chief of the Armed Forces Lt. Gen. (S) Thomas Süssli". Air University. 18 December 2019. Archived from the original on 22 January 2020. Retrieved 22 January 2020.
External links
edit
.svg){kind=small}  | This biographical article related to the military of Switzerland is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by adding missing information. |