Under the country's militia system, regular soldiers constitute a small part of the military and the rest are conscripts or volunteers aged 19 to 34 in some cases up to Because of Switzerland's long history of neutrality , the Swiss Armed Forces have not been involved in foreign wars since the early 19th century, but do participate in international peacekeeping missions.
The regulations of the Swiss militia system stipulate that the soldiers keep their own personal equipment, including all personally assigned weapons, at home or in an armoury; until this also included ammunition. Males usually receive initial orders at the age of 18 for military conscription eligibility screening. About two-thirds of young Swiss men are found suitable for service, while alternative service exists for those found unsuitable.
In , the reform "Army XXI" replaced the previous model "Army 95" and was adopted by popular vote, reducing manpower from , to about , personnel, with , receiving periodic military training and 80, reservists who have completed their total military training requirements.
The land component of the Swiss Armed Forces originated from the cantonal troops of the Old Swiss Confederacy , called upon in cases of external threats by the Tagsatzung or by the canton in distress. The cantonal armies were converted into the federal army Bundesheer with the constitution of From this time, it was illegal for the individual cantons to declare war or to sign capitulations or peace agreements.
The first complete mobilization , under the command of Hans Herzog , was triggered by the Franco-Prussian War in In , the army was called in to crush a strike of workers at the Gotthard tunnel. Four workers were killed and 13 were severely wounded. Paragraph 19 of the revised constitution of extended the definition of the federal army to every able-bodied male citizen, which would have swollen the size of the army, had it not been replaced by later revisions, from under , to more than ,, with population growth during the 20th century rising further to some 1.
