Armaments Services Group

The Group on Arms Services was from 1964 to 1995, an area of the Federal Military Department (EMD; since 1998: VBS) and thus part of the federal Switzerland.

Reasons for origin

It was created as a consequence of the Mirage affair for the purpose of unbundling military leadership and purchasing power. The predecessor organization War Technology Department (KTA) was spun off from the army and the entire procurement and production of army material (armaments companies of the federal government) was transferred to the new armament services group (GRD).

The management companies of the GRD included:

• Federal Ammunition Factory Thun
• Federal Ammunition Factory Altdorf (UR)
• Federal construction workshop
• Federal Aircraft Factory
• Federal Arms Factory, Bern
• Wimmis powder factory
• Thun power station

Division into armasuisse and RUAG

In 1996 the production companies were outsourced from the GRD and renamed the Armaments Group , which today is a pure procurement organization within the federal administration under the name armasuisse . In 1999, the arms factories were brought together under the umbrella of the semi-public company RUAG Holding AG .

Web links

• Hervé de Weck: Arms factories. In: Historical Lexicon of Switzerland .
• Gisela Hürlimann: directors . In: Historical Lexicon of Switzerland .