André Blattmann

André Blattmann (born 6 March 1956) was the Swiss Lieutenant General and Chief of the Armed Forces from 1 March 2009 (ad interim since 20 August 2008) until 31 December 2016. He led the Swiss army after the leave of Roland Nef ad interim on 25 July 2008.[1]

André Blattmann
Lt Gen André Blattmann during a visit to the Pentagon in July 2015
Born (1956-03-06) 6 March 1956
Richterswil, Switzerland
Allegiance  Switzerland
Service/branch
Years of service1984–2017
RankGeneralmajor
Korpskommandant
Commands heldChief of the Armed Forces of Switzerland
AwardsSee Decorations and awards

Biography
André Blattmann (center) as a guest of honor at the Landsgemeinde in Appenzell, April 25, 2010

Blattmann did an apprenticeship as a clerk and was promoted to Bachelor of Business Administration. In 2003 he completed an Executive MBA education at the University of Zurich.[1]

On 1 January 2001 his appointment as Chief of Staff of the Field Army Corps 4 became effective[1] with simultaneous promotion to Brigadier. In 2002 he attended the Senior International Defense Management Course in Monterey, California in the United States.

From 2004 to 2005 he was the commander of the Central School, which is part of the higher professional training of the army.[1] From the 1st of January 2006 Blattmann served as Assigned Higher Staff Officer.[1]

Blattmann replaced Roland Nef, who resigned on 25 July 2008 following allegations of sexual harassment, as Chief of the Armed Forces.[2]

In December 2015, Blattman warned that cutbacks to the Swiss military are a serious threat because of the rise of terrorism and hybrid warfare.[3]

In March 2016 the minister of defence announced the retirement of André Blattmann by the end of 2016.[4] His formal retirement ceremony was held on 8 December 2016 and he was succeeded by Philippe Rebord on 1 January 2017.[5][6][7] After his retirement, Blattmann continued to work for the Swiss Armed Forces as an advisor, expecting to retire on 31 December 2017.[8]

On 16 November 2017 André Blattmann was appointed to the Board of Directors of Swiss International Air Lines, where he would take up his duties on 1 January 2018.[9][10]

Decorations and awards
Length of Service Decoration
with three golden rosettes
Assault Rifle (Level 2) Military sport (Level 2) Operations within Switzerland
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References
  1. "Korpskommandant André Blattmann" (in German). Swiss Armed Forces. Retrieved 10 January 2017.
  2. "Army chief falls but defence minister to stay". swissinfo. 25 July 2008. Retrieved 15 September 2008.
  3. https://www.thelocal.ch/20151228/swiss-army-chief-warns-of-rising-terror-threat
  4. Geiser, Urs (March 23, 2016). "Swiss Army Chief Resigns". Swissinfo. Retrieved March 29, 2016.
  5. "Korpskommandant André Blattmann gibt Standarte der Schweizer Armee zurück" (in German). Swiss Armed Forces. December 8, 2016. Archived from the original on February 13, 2017. Retrieved January 10, 2017.
  6. "Le commandement de l'armée passe en mains du Valaisan Philippe Rebord" (in French). Radio Télévision Suisse. December 8, 2016. Retrieved January 10, 2017.
  7. "Philippe Rebord prend la tête de l'armée". tdg.ch (in French). December 12, 2016. Retrieved January 10, 2017.
  8. "Armeechef André Blattmann Tritt auf 2017 Zurück – Das Sind Mögliche Nachfolger". Aargauer Zeitung. 23 March 2016. Retrieved 12 January 2017.
  9. Ex-Armeechef geht zur Swiss 17 November 2017 "20 Minuten" (in German)
  10. "Board of Directors". swiss.com. Retrieved 28 December 2019.
Military offices
Preceded by
Lt Gen Roland Nef		 Chief of the Armed Forces
1 March 20091 – 31 December 2016		 Succeeded by
Lt Gen Philippe Rebord
Notes and references
1. Chief of the Armed Forces ad interim since 20 August 2008


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