Walter Knutti

Walter Knutti (born January 27, 1948 in Basel ) is a Swiss professional officer ( corps commander ). From January 2006 to June 2008 he was the commander of the Swiss Air Force .

Life

Knutti is a trained aircraft mechanic , after studying law at the University of Basel , he and his wife opened a retail business in 1976 . In 1982 he began his instructor career in the light air defense. From 1990 to 1991 he attended the US Air Force University's Graduate Air Command and Staff College (ACSC) at Maxwell-Gunter Air Force Base in Montgomery , Alabama .

From 1993 he was in command of the anti-aircraft schools in Payerne and from 1994 in command of an anti-aircraft regiment. In 1997 he became Chief of Staff of the Air Force Operations Subgroup , and in 1999 Commander of Task Force ALBA in Albania . Between 2000 and 2003 he was in command of the airfield brigade of the Swiss Air Force, between 2004 and 2005 he was chief of the air force staff.

As part of the introduction of new organizational structures in the Swiss Army ( Army XXI ), Knutti was appointed corps commander as the successor to Hans-Rudolf Fehrlin on January 1, 2006 .

After several soldiers were killed in a rubber dinghy accident on the Kander on June 12, 2008, subsequent investigations revealed that “non-compliant procedures in the Air Force cadre selection ” came to light in several cases. Knutti proposed officers for general staff courses without having undertaken the necessary clarifications, including the company commander who ordered the fatal exercise on the Kander. Although this failure did not lead directly to the accident, Knutti asked the Federal Council to be relieved of his post with immediate effect on June 20, 2008 , following a prior request by Army Chief Roland Nef .

To his interim successor, Major General Markus Gygax determined.

Web links

• Walter Knutti on the website of the Swiss Air Force
• Swiss air force chief resigns from swissinfo.ch