The EU has approved Switzerland’s participation in the “Cyber Ranges Federation” (CRF) project, which links national cyber training infrastructures across Europe.
Under the initiative, participants carry out joint exercises, training, and research on cyber defense applications.
CRF links national cyber training centers and industries to support collaborative technology development involving artificial intelligence tools, autonomous vehicles, and secure critical infrastructure such as power grids and military systems.
Its main goal is to integrate and expand national cyber defense capabilities into a unified system, standardizing processes such as testing, validation, and experimentation across member countries.
Estonia leads the CRF, which also includes Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, and Finland.
France, Italy, Latvia, and Luxembourg are also part of the project.
Military Mobility
Additionally, Switzerland announced it will participate in the “Military Mobility” project to simplify cross-border military transport within the EU.
The project aims to enable the smooth movement of military personnel and equipment by reducing lengthy bureaucratic procedures across rail, road, air, and sea routes.
Efforts include sharing best practices to improve transport efficiency.
Both initiatives support interoperability and training across European defense forces under a non-binding administrative arrangement, which aligns with Switzerland’s neutrality.
PESCO
The two initiatives are part of the Permanent Structured Cooperation (PESCO) launched by the European Council in 2017.
Currently, 26 of 27 EU countries are involved in over 60 PESCO projects focused on strengthening defense capabilities through joint training and armament initiatives to improve interoperability.
