Military awards and decorations of Switzerland

Switzerland does not have a national honour system. Enshrined in the 1848 Swiss Constition in Article 12 was a prohibition on the acceptance of honours and titles by Swiss citizens.^[1] In the current Swiss constitution there is no specific prohibition on titles and orders, however there is a statute that covers the prohibition previously covered by Article 12.

The Swiss military maintains a system of awards which recognize length of service, training, sports, and mission participation.^[2]

Award ribbons

Length of Service Decorations

Length of Service Decoration
Emblem	Name	Remarks
	Length of Service Decoration German: Dienstleistungsabzeichen French: Insigne de prestation de service Italian: Distintivi del servizio	This ribbon is worn with a series of rosettes to indicate total length of service. No rosettes indicates 90 days of service, a single bronze rosette 170 days of service, two bronze rosettes indicate 250 days of service, and 350 days of service is indicated by three bronze rosette. A single silver rosette indicates 450 days of service, two silver rosettes 550 days of service, and three silver rosettes indicate 650 days of service. A single gold rosette is indicative of 750 days of service, two gold rosettes 850 days of service, and three gold rosettes indicate 950 days of service.

Decorations

Alpine Insignia
Emblem	Name	Remarks
	Alpine Decoration German: Hochgebirgsabzeichen French: Insigne de haute montagne Italian: Distintivo d’alta montagna	This replaced the Alpine Badge previously issued by the Swiss Army. The Alpine Decoration is awarded to those members of the Swiss Army who have received specialist training in mountain warfare and rescue.
Skill-at-arms Decorations
	Assault Rifle, Level 1 German: Sturmgewehr Stufe 1 French: Fusil d’assaut degré 1 Italian: Fucile d’assalto grado 1	This ribbon is worn in place of the older Sugus type badges.
	Assault Rifle, Level 2 German: Sturmgewehr Stufe 2 French: Fusil d’assaut degré 2 Italian: Fucile d’assalto grado 2
	Pistol, Level 1 German: Pistole Stufe 1 French: Pistolet degré 1 Italian: Pistola grado 1
	Pistol, Level 2 German: Pistole Stufe 2 French: Pistolet degré 2 Italian: Pistola grado 2
Training Decorations
	Buddy Aid/NBC Defence German: Kameradenhilfe/ABC Abwehr French: Aide au camarade/défense ABC Italian: Aiuto al camerata/difesa NBC
	Coxswain German: Wasserfahrer French: Navigateur Italian: Battelliere
	Pointer (weapon) German: Richter French: Pointeur (arme) Italian: Puntatore (arma)
Sports Decorations
	Military sport 1 German: Militärsport 1 French: Sport militaire 1 Italian: Sport militare 1
	Military sport 2 German: Militärsport 2 French: Sport militaire 2 Italian: Sport militare 2
	Military sports competition German: Militärsport Wettkampfauszeichnung French: Compétition de sport militaire Italian: Sport militare competitivo

Mission insignia

Service within Switzerland
Emblem	Name	Remarks
	Operations within Switzerland German: Inland-Einsätze French: Engagements à l’intérieur du pays Italian: Impieghi in Svizzera
Service abroad
	Kosovo Mission Insignia	Awarded for 150 days of service as a member of the Swisscoy.[3]
	Bosnia-Herzegovina Mission Insignia	Awarded for 150 days of service with the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) Swiss Headquarters Support Unit (SHQSU) to Bosnia-Herzegovina.[3]
	Korea Mission Insignia	Awarded for 150 days of service with the Neutral Nations Supervisory Commission.[3]
	Namibia Mission Insignia	Awarded for 150 days of service with the United Nations Transition Assistance Group (UNTAG).[3]
	Western Sahara Mission Insignia	Awarded for 150 days of service with the United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO).[3]
	Peace Support Mission Insignia	Awarded for 150 days of service in peace support operations outside of the framework of an international organization.[3]
	UN Military Observer Mission Insignia	Awarded for 150 days of service as a military observer with a United Nations Peacekeeping Mission.[3]
	Partnership for Peace Mission Insignia	Awarded for service with NATO Partnership for Peace.[4]
	Long Leave for Military Duties Abroad German: Lange Ausland-Abkommandierung French: Service commandé de longue durée à l’étranger Italian: Servizi comandati prolungati	Awarded for at least 150 training days service in a training course of a foreign army as part of the "LAK" program.[4]

Order of wear

Awards are worn of the uniform as ribbon bars in rows of three, with a maximum of nine ribbons worn at a time. When the top row of ribbons is less than three, they are worn to the wearers left.^[2] Only the highest level of award received is worn. The ribbons are worn in the following order:^[4]

• Length of Service Decoration (max 1 Ribbon);
• Decorations:
  • Alpine insignia
  • Skill-at-arms Decorations
  • Training Decorations
  • Sports Decorations
• Mission Insignia:
  • Operations within Switzerland (max 1 Ribbon)
  • Operations Abroad;
  • UN/OSCE Mandate Missions (max 1 per ribbon)
• Partnership for Peace Mission Insignia
• Long Leave for Military Duties Abroad (LAK)

References

1. "Bundesverfassung der Schweizerischen Eidgenossenschaft (1848)". Verfassungen.de. Retrieved 18 November 2013.
2. Armed Forces Logistics Organisation AFLO, ed. (2008). Insignia of the Swiss Armed Forces (PDF). Bern: Swiss Armed Forces. pp. 69–77. Retrieved 17 November 2013.
3. "Insignes remis pour les missions accomplies à l'étranger dans le cadre de la promotion de la paix" (in French). Promotion de la Paix - Centre de compétences SWISSINT. Archived from the original on 1 January 2007. Retrieved 18 November 2013.
4. "Reglement 51.009d" (PDF) (in German). Schweizer Armee. p. 11. Retrieved 17 November 2013.