Conventional arms control and confidence-building in Europe
Transparency builds trust. For Switzerland, conventional arms control and confidence-building measures are therefore an indispensable element of the cooperative European security architecture.The states parties to the Vienna Document and the Treaty on Open Skies promote transparency and confidence as well as the exchange of military information.
The key instruments for restricting conventional weapons in Europe consist of arms control and disarmament treaties as well as confidence- and security-building measures. The major conventional weapons systems include battle tanks, armoured combat vehicles, anti-tank guided missile launchers mounted on vehicles, large-calibre artillery systems, armoured vehicle-launched bridges, combat aircraft and attack helicopters, as well as warships and submarines.
The system of conventional arms control that has existed in Europe since the end of the Cold War is based on three pillars:
- the Vienna Document on Confidence- and Security-Building Measures,
- the now suspended Treaty on Conventional Forces in Europe, and
- the Open Skies Treaty.
In view of technological developments and changes in the way warfare is conducted, there is significant pressure for the above-mentioned treaties to be brought up to date. The current tense geopolitical climate is nonetheless putting a strain on this process.