NATO will remain the only effective security authority on the European continent. It is not membership that is recommended for Switzerland, but rather cooperation and interoperability. The air defense of the Alpine region could be the Swiss service that compensates NATO for the overarching area.
In cooperation with NATO, Switzerland could contribute to air defense in the Alpine region. This would probably require more F-35 fighter jets than the 36 ordered by Switzerland.
In terms of military geography, our country is embedded in NATO’s sphere of influence. This is a defense-oriented military alliance of nominally equal countries; in fact, it is being led by the United States and has significant support from the British. The other countries are involved differently. At the lower end of the scale are France, which often lacks solidarity, and Germany, which is militarily insignificant. Our eastern neighbor Austria shines with security policy absenteeism and, due to the complete lack of an efficient air force for our country, represents a vacuum-related threat in the airspace.