Swiss officer appointed deputy commander KFOR

Bern, 14.11.2018 - For the first time ever, a Swiss officer, Brigadier Laurent Michaud, will hold the position of deputy commander of the multinational Kosovo Force (KFOR). Brigadier Michaud will assume his new position in September 2019 for a period of one year. The appointment underlines the Swiss Armed Forces’ many years of commitment to security and stability in Kosovo. The Federal Council took note of the appointment at its meeting on 14 November 2018.

Of the 29 nations currently sending troops, Switzerland ranks ninth in the numbers that it provides to the multinational Kosovo Force (KFOR). As Switzerland is also a long-standing and reliable partner in KFOR, Nato offered Switzerland the position of deputy commanding officer of KFOR (DCOM – Deputy Commander) for the period 2019-2020. After careful consideration and discussions with Nato and with the partner nations involved, it has now been decided that a member of the Swiss Armed Forces will accept this position in the KFOR command for one year.

Brigadier Laurent Michaud is 53 years old, and is currently the Chief of Staff Joint Operations Command and former Chief of Staff / Deputy Chief of the Armed Forces Joint Staff, Commander of the Special Forces Command, and Commander of the Grenadier and Parascout Schools Command. He begins preparations and training for his duties in KFOR in February 2019. His appointment to this position underlines Switzerland’s long-standing commitment to stabilising the Western Balkans and its readiness to take responsibility on the ground. Switzerland will not hold the position permanently but will hand it over again after a year.

Since October 1999, Switzerland has deployed its SWISSCOY unit to Kosovo to participate in the multinational KFOR peace support mission. The mission is based on a UN resolution.

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Renato Kalbermatten
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