State Secretary for Security Policy and Chief of Armed Forces Staff to take part in Warsaw Security Forum
Bern, 12.10.2026 — On 12 and 13 October 2026, senior representatives from politics, the armed forces, business and academia will gather at the Warsaw Security Forum (WSF) to discuss current security policy developments. Switzerland will be represented by Markus Mäder, State Secretary for Security Policy, and Major General Daniel Keller, Chief of Armed Forces Staff. On the sidelines of the WSF, State Secretary Markus Mäder will also meet Poland's Secretary of State in the Ministry of National Defence, Paweł Zalewski, for a dialogue on security policy cooperation between the two countries.
The WSF is one of Europe's most important security policy conferences, providing a platform for exchange between European and transatlantic partners. This year's focus is on European security and the role of the Nordic and Baltic states.
Societal resilience and security policy cooperation
State Secretary Markus Mäder will present the Swiss perspective on societal and institutional resilience at the panel discussion ‘The State that Holds: Whole of Government Resilience in an Age of Hybrid Pressure’. Together with Finnish Minister of the Interior Mari Rantanen, Estonian Minister of the Interior Igor Taro and the mayor of Warsaw, Rafał Trzaskowski, State Secretary Markus Mäder will discuss resilience at state and whole-of-society level in the face of hybrid threats.
In its concept of comprehensive security, the Security Policy Strategy of Switzerland 2026 identifies strengthening resilience as one of three strategic directions.
Major General Daniel Keller will represent the Swiss Armed Forces at WSF and attend various plenary sessions. The focus will be on current developments in security and defence policy in eastern and northern Europe and on their implications for Switzerland and its armed forces. The insights gained will feed into the Swiss Armed Forces' situation assessment and help to identify relevant developments and trends at an early stage.
Dialogue with Poland
On the sidelines of the forum, State Secretary Markus Mäder will meet his Polish counterpart, Paweł Zalewski, for a dialogue on security policy. The talks will centre on the security situation in Europe and security policy cooperation between the two countries. Poland is playing an increasingly important role in European security policy and is comprehensively modernising its armed forces. The dialogue offers Switzerland an opportunity to benefit from Poland's experience and to discuss assessments.