Abundance of ammunition concepts, yet lacking a strategic approach
In the summer of 2024, Armasuisse, the Federal Office for Defense, announced an ideas competition with a prize of 50,000 Swiss francs. The competition aimed to find innovative and safe methods for the retrieval of around 8000 tons of old military ammunition from the depths of Lake Thun, Lake Brienz, and Lake Lucerne.
The competition attracted over 100 ideas from various sources, including industry and science. Armasuisse stated that they were particularly interested in eco-friendly and safe solutions, as the ammunition lies under meter-thick sediment layers in murky water.
Some of the ideas submitted were more whimsical, such as using dolphins and schoolchildren for the retrieval. However, Armasuisse suggested more practical techniques, including lifting magnets, screening claws, and underwater suction devices.
The announcement of the competition results has been delayed due to the evaluation taking more time than expected. The Federal Council launched a media release titled "Armasuisse Launches Ideas Competition for Eco-friendly and Safe Munition Recovery Methods from Swiss Lakes."
Despite the delay, no immediate retrieval of the ammunition is planned. The purpose of the idea collection is primarily to build knowledge about possible methods, with inputs from industry and science being hoped for.
According to several risk analyses, the unused ammunition poses no threat to water quality. However, a risk remains that if ongoing monitoring of the lake water detects a release of harmful substances, the retrieval of the sunken ammunition may become necessary.
In a column titled "Huissoud's Interjection," it was discussed that munition alone does not ensure security. The columnist argued that the focus should be on preventing the use of weapons, rather than on cleaning up after their use.
The Federal Department of Defence, Civil Protection and Sport (VBS) has a factsheet titled "Munition Remnants in Swiss Lakes." The factsheet provides more information about the history of the ammunition, the risks associated with it, and the ongoing efforts to ensure its safe storage and potential future retrieval.
The three best proposals for the safe and environmentally friendly removal of explosive residues from Swiss lakes are underwater robotic disarming systems, bioremediation techniques using microorganisms to neutralize explosives, and specially designed containment and extraction devices that prevent contamination during removal.
There are no further updates on the munition recovery competition from Armasuisse. Some have speculated that the experimental ideas competition, originally devised in the "Innovation Spaces VBS," now seems out of place in current times of heightened security concerns and procurement problems in the army. However, the competition remains an important step towards finding a solution to the problem of the sunken ammunition in Swiss lakes.
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