General Staff (Switzerland)

The General Staff of the Swiss Armed Forces (German: Generalstab Schweizer Armee) was the managing military staff of Switzerland. It was led by a Chief of the General Staff who held the rank of Korpskommandant (NATO: OF-8). He/she was effectively the highest-ranking officer in the Swiss military. Until 1830, the general staff consisted of 12 to 24 federal colonels and a few lieutenant colonels with experience in serving foreign armies. In 1865, the Federal Staff Office was created, with its responsibility being to maintain the Swiss combat readiness for war. In 1948, most of the services of the Federal Military Department were grouped together in the General Staff. After the Second World War, General Staff training was increasingly a precondition for the assumption of an army unit command. It operated until the end of 2003, when the reforms of Armee XXI introduced the position of Chief of the Armed Forces. Until its reorganization, the General Staff was the highest level of command in the Swiss Armed forces, with the Chief of the General Staff acting as the primus inter pares (first among equals). Even after the reform of the army, the military continued to utilize, General Staff officers, who are trained in the General Staff School to become senior management assistants in the armed forces.

Theophil Sprecher von Bernegg (seen here) was the second longest serving Chief of the General Staff.

List of Chiefs of the General Staff

The following is a list of chiefs of the General Staff from 1870 to 2003:

No.	Picture	Chief of the General Staff	Took office	Left office	Time in office	Election	General	Ref.
1		Paravicini, RudolfOberstkorpskommandant Rudolf Paravicini (1815–1888)	21 July 1870	1875	4–5 years	20 July 1870	Herzog, HansHans Herzog (1870 – 1871)
2		Siegfried, HermannOberstkorpskommandant Hermann Siegfried (1819–1879)	1875	1879	3–4 years	?	—	—
3		Sinner, JohannOberstkorpskommandant Johann Rudolf von Sinner (1830–1901)	1879	1882	2–3 years	?	—	—
4		Altishofen, MaxOberstkorpskommandant Max Alphons Pfyffer von Altishofen (1834–1890)	1883	1890 †	6–7 years	?	—	—
5		Keller, ArnoldOberstkorpskommandant Arnold Keller (1841–1934)	1890	1905	14–15 years	?	—	—
6		Bernegg, TheophilOberstkorpskommandant Theophil Sprecher von Bernegg (1850–1927)	1905	1919	13–14 years	?	Wille, UlrichUlrich Wille (1914 – 1918)	—
7		Sonderegger, EmilOberstkorpskommandant Emil Sonderegger (1868–1934)	1920	1923	2–3 years	?	—	—
8		Roost, HeinrichOberstkorpskommandant Heinrich Roost (1872–1936)	1923	26 May 1936 †	12–13 years	?	—	—
9		Labhardt, JakobOberstkorpskommandant Jakob Labhardt (1881–1949)	1936	1940	3–4 years	?	Guisan, Henri, 1Henri Guisan (1939 – 1945)	—
10		Huber, JakobOberstkorpskommandant Jakob Huber (1883–1953)	23 March 1940	1945	4–5 years	?	Guisan, Henri, 2Henri Guisan (1939 – 1945)	—
11		Montmollin, LouisOberstkorpskommandant Louis de Montmollin (1893–1974)	1945	1957	11–12 years	?	—	—
12		Annasohn, JakobOberstkorpskommandant Jakob Annasohn (1893–1974)	1 January 1958	31 December 1964	6 years	?	—	—
13		Gygli, PaulOberstkorpskommandant Paul Gygli (1909–1992)	1 January 1965	31 December 1971	6 years	?	—	—
14		Vischer, JohannKorpskommandant Johann Jakob Vischer (1914–1985)	1 January 1972	31 December 1976	4 years	?	—	—
15		Senn, HansKorpskommandant Hans Senn (1918–2007)	1 January 1977	31 December 1980	3 years	?	—	—
16		Zumstein, JörgKorpskommandant Jörg Zumstein (1923–1997)	1 January 1981	31 December 1985	4 years	?	—	—
17		Lüthy, EugenKorpskommandant Eugen Lüthy (1927–1990)	1 January 1986	31 December 1989	3 years	?	—	—
18		Häsler, HeinzKorpskommandant Heinz Häsler (born 1930)	1 January 1990	31 December 1992	2 years	?	—	—
19		Liener, ArthurKorpskommandant Arthur Liener (born 1936)	1 January 1993	31 December 1997	4 years	?	—	—
20		Scherrer, HansKorpskommandant Hans-Ulrich Scherrer (born 1942)	1 January 1998	31 December 2002	4 years	?	—	—
21		Keckeis, ChristopheKorpskommandant Christophe Keckeis (1945–2020)	1 January 2003	31 December 2003	1 year	?	—	—