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Switzerland signs contract with the USA on environmentally sound ammunition disposal for the US Army

Swiss Government

Press release
Published on 29 September 2025

Bern, 29.09.2025 -- On 15 September 2025, the Federal Office for Defence Procurement armasuisse signed an initial order for ammunition disposal with the US Army in cooperation with RUAG MRO. The pilot project aims to ensure the preservation of expertise in Switzerland on a long-term basis.

RUAG MRO operates an environmentally sound ammunition disposal plant in Altdorf. This plant disposes of ammunition from decommissioned systems and systems which have reached the end of their technical life in accordance with ammunition surveillance, as well as ammunition from the returns of troops or from shooting range clearances. Switzerland has a very low consumption of "combat ammunition", which is why at the end of the useful life, large residual quantities accrue which need to be disposed of. This ammunition cannot be transported to other countries for disposal partly due to security considerations or for legal reasons. This is not due to the storage or transport safety of the ammunition, but its packaging, some of which does not meet or no longer meets the requirements of other countries. The disposal of ammunition thus represents a skill which Switzerland cannot do without.

The disposal order (pilot project) between the Federal Office for Defence Procurement armasuisse in cooperation with RUAG MRO and the US Army Europe is based on the Acquisition and Cross-Servicing Agreement (ACSA) concluded on 6 December 2001 as well as the Implementing Arrangement (IA) between Switzerland and the USA. The Federal Office for Defence Procurement armasuisse is merely acting in a mediating role for the service provider RUAG MRO and the US Army as the recipient of services.

Preservation of expertise in Switzerland

Due to the downsizing of the Armed Forces, the use of simulators and the increasing environmental requirements, both military exercises with live ammunition as well as ammunition stocks in the Swiss Armed Forces have declined over the last few decades. Accordingly, the amount of ammunition to be destroyed has steadily declined. For Switzerland, it is therefore profitable if the ammunition disposal system in Altdorf is better utilised by third-party orders. This also ensures the preservation of expertise in Switzerland.

Ammunition disposal for the US Army

The US Army Europe has various ammunition types of surplus ammunition conforming to international law in Germany, which needs to be disposed of. RUAG MRO has the required years of expertise, as it disposes of comparable conventional ammunition for the Swiss Armed Forces. For economic and ecological reasons, the US Army considers the location of Switzerland as an interesting additional alternative to disposal in Italy. The reasons for this are shorter transport routes and the risk minimisation due to several contractors.
The disposal of ammunition is compatible with the law of neutrality and the neutrality policy of Switzerland.