Christophe Keckeis
Christophe Keckeis (born April 18, 1945 in Neuchâtel ; † May 1, 2020 ; citizen of Fislisbach , Canton Aargau ) was a Swiss officer . From January 1, 2004 to December 31, 2007, he was Chief of the Swiss Army .
Life
Before 2003
Keckeis was bilingual ( French and German ).
He had a degree in political science (University of Lausanne, 1976), but his professional life was almost entirely in the army. In 1966 he became a pilot in the surveillance squadron (UeG) and from 1968 a professional military pilot in the Fliegerstaffel 17 . In 1974 he was promoted to captain and piloted a Mirage IIIS , in March 1977 he survived the collision of a Mirage IIIBS at the Payerne military airfield when he flew as an on-board photographer. In 1977 the general staff training followed, at the beginning of the 1980s he was promoted to major as squadron leader. In 1989 he took over command of the air defense regiment as a colonel. Between 1985 and 1992, Keckeis was also an evaluation pilot for a new fighter aircraft.
In 1991 he became the commander of the surveillance squadron. From 1993 to 1997 he was commander of the air brigade with the rank of brigadier , 1998–1999 chief of staff of the air force commander. Between 2000 and 2002, as a division general, he was chief operations subgroup of the Air Force and deputy to the commanding officer of the Air Force.
Chief of the Army 2003–2007
Keckeis was elected Chief of Staff by the Federal Council on October 30, 2002 and at the same time designated as the future Chief of the Army and Project Manager of Army XXI . On January 1, 2003, he took over the position of Chief of Staff and a year later, on January 1, 2004, Keckeis became the first chief of the army with the rank of corps commander .
In this function he commanded the two branches of the armed forces, the army and air force , the higher cadre training of the army (HKA) , the logistics base of the army (LBA), the command support base (FUB), the planning staff (PST A) and the command staff of the army (FST A) . He was thus a kind of peace general ; his function is not identical to that of the Army Commander-in-Chief, who is elected by the Federal Assembly in times of war .
The main focus of his work as head of the army: Keckeis' greatest task was the implementation of Army Reform XXI , which in particular provided for a reduction in the number of teams and increased cooperation with foreign partners.
On December 31, 2007, he handed this office over to his successor, Roland Nef .
After 2007
Shortly before he left the army, the Defense Department (DDPS) came under severe criticism for supporting a book entitled Christophe Keckeis - The Future of the Swiss Army with 100,000 Swiss Francs in tax money. The cost of the Festschrift was ultimately paid for by a private sponsor.
From 2008 Keckeis was president of the Geneva Center for the Democratic Control of Armed Forces (DCAF) . From 2008 to 2011 he was on the International Advisory Board of the Center of Security, Economics and Technology at the University of St Gallen. In 2009 he was a military expert in the Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on the Conflict in Georgia (IIFFMCG). From 2009 he was a board member of the Musée de l'aviation militaire de Payerne .
Until 2012 he was flight instructor CPL (A) at Club Neuchâtelois d'Aviation. It totaled more than 5380 flight hours. In 2011 and 2012 he was responsible for the safety of the Planet Solar boat (1st Solar Boat Expedition around the World).
Private life
Keckeis was married and had two daughters and a son. The Neuchâtel died on May 1, 2020 at the age of 75.
Awards and decorations
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| Pilot badge | ||
| Service badge with 3 gold rosettes |
High mountain badge | Assault rifle level 2 |
| Gun level 2 | Military sport 2 | Partnership for Peace Mission |
- March 5, 2008: Commandeur de la Légion d'Honneur par le Président de la République Française.
- May 26, 2008: Large Silver Decoration with the Star for Services to the Republic of Austria
literature
- Anton Schaller and Philippe Zahno (editors): Christophe Keckeis: The future of the Swiss army. Zurich: Orell Füssli , 2007. ISBN 978-3280052600 ( Commentary by Christophe Keckeis . In: Klartext: Das Schweizer Medienmagazin. )
Web links
- Literature by and about Christophe Keckeis in the catalog of the German National Library
Individual evidence
- ↑ Obituaries on todesangeboteportal.ch (accessed on May 4, 2020).
- ↑ DDPS: Appointment of senior staff officers and designations for the Army XXI. Retrieved February 15, 2017 .
- ↑ List of all decorations awarded by the Federal President for services to the Republic of Austria from 1952 (PDF; 6.9 MB)
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Keckeis, Christophe |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Swiss officer |
| DATE OF BIRTH | April 18, 1945 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Neuchâtel |
| DATE OF DEATH | 1st May 2020 |