5,000 soldiers set to protect World Economic Forum in Davos

By Timo Kirez

GENEVA (AA) - Up to 5,000 members of the armed forces will be deployed to protect this year's World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, the Swiss Defense Ministry announced on Monday.

During his year's meeting, set for Jan. 15-19, the military will be deployed in the Landwasser Valley in the Davos region, said the ministry.

According to the ministry, members of the armed forces will also be deployed in the rest of Switzerland for the annual event, including air sovereignty, logistics and command support.

In September 2021, the Swiss parliament approved the costs for army deployment at the WEF Annual Meetings for 2022 through 2024, coming out to 2.55 million Swiss francs (around $2.99 million) each.

Its contribution is therefore lower than in previous years, as the WEF's private foundation is contributing more to the security costs.

According to the ministry, civilian authorities of the Swiss canton of Graubunden, where Davos is located, are responsible for the army deployment. The army is responsible for air sovereignty.

The air force is to strengthen the air police service and carry out surveillance flights. The Swiss Air Force works closely with partners from Austria and Italy to ensure airspace security, said the ministry.

Protests against the WEF are a regular occurrence in Davos. Last year, for example, more than 600 climate activists marched to Davos to take a stand for climate justice.

Also last year, climate activists briefly blocked St. Gallen-Altenrhein Airport to prevent WEF participants from arriving.