Martin Pfister
MinisterFederal Councillor, Head of the Federal Department of Defence, Civil Protection and Sport (DDPS)
The Centre (Die Mitte) · Švajčiarsko
Jazyk profilu: angličtina
Martin Pfister (born 31 July 1963 in Zug) is a Swiss historian, former teacher and politician of The Centre (Die Mitte) who has served as a member of the Swiss Federal Council since April 2025, heading the Federal Department of Defence, Civil Protection and Sport (VBS/DDPS). He grew up in Zug and Allenwinden, where he resides with his family, and holds citizenship of Waldkirch (SG). Trained as a primary teacher at the St Michael Teacher Training College and a master's graduate in history and German from the University of Fribourg, he worked as a teacher, academic assistant and later in association management and non-profit consulting before entering full-time politics. He is also an Oberst (Colonel) in the Swiss Army with a background in disaster-relief units. Pfister began his political career in the municipality of Baar, was elected to the Cantonal Council (Kantonsrat) of Zug in 2006, and served as a member of the Zug Executive Council (Regierungsrat) and head of its Health Department from 2016 to 2025, including as Landammann (cantonal president) in 2021/2022. As Zug's health director he played a prominent role in the cantonal COVID-19 response. In March 2025 the Federal Assembly elected him to the Federal Council to succeed Viola Amherd, having been widely seen as an outsider against the favourite Markus Ritter. He took office on 1 April 2025 as head of the defence department.
Volebná história
2025 Swiss Federal Council election (to succeed Viola Amherd)
Member of the Swiss Federal Council2025-03-12
Elected (second round)
134 of votes cast (absolute majority 123)
vs. Markus Ritter (The Centre)
Elected by the United Federal Assembly. In the first round Pfister received 122 votes to Ritter's 105 (absolute majority 123), forcing a second round, in which Pfister won 134 votes to Ritter's 110. Pfister was widely seen as the outsider against the favourite Ritter.
Zug Executive Council (Regierungsrat) election 2022
Member of the Zug Executive Council (Regierungsrat)2022
Re-elected
Re-elected to the Zug government; reported to have won the most votes of any candidate despite having to defend the canton's COVID-19 measures as health director.
Zug Executive Council (Regierungsrat) by-election 2016
Member of the Zug Executive Council (Regierungsrat)2016-01-17
Elected
Elected in a by-election to fill the vacancy left by Peter Hegglin; subsequently took over the cantonal Health Department.
Profesijná dráha
Member of the Federal Council, Head of the Federal Department of Defence, Civil Protection and Sport (VBS/DDPS)
1. 4. 2025Swiss Federal Council
Elected to the Federal Council by the Federal Assembly on 12 March 2025 to succeed Viola Amherd; took office on 1 April 2025 and was assigned the defence department (defence, civil protection and sport).
Member of the Executive Council (Regierungsrat), Head of the Health Department
17. 1. 2016 – 31. 3. 2025Canton of Zug
Cantonal minister responsible for the Health Department (Gesundheitsdirektion). Elected in a by-election on 17 January 2016 to succeed Peter Hegglin and re-elected with strong results. Served as Landammann (cantonal president) in 2021/2022 and Vice-Landammann in 2019/2020. As head of the Conference of Central Swiss Health Directors he had a prominent role in the cantonal COVID-19 response.
Managing partner (association management and non-profit consulting)
2010 – 2016Pfister Frei Partner GmbH, Zug
Managing partner responsible for association management and supervision of consulting dossiers for non-profit organisations, including mandates for feu suisse, the College for Naturopathy and Homeopathy (hfnh) and the Conference of the Colleges for Alternative Medicine (hfam).
Zdroj:vbs.admin.chSelf-employed consultant (Büro Pfister)
2008 – 2010Büro Pfister, Baar
Self-employed consultant in association management; managed consulting dossiers for non-profit organisations and book publications.
Zdroj:vbs.admin.chMember of the Cantonal Council (Kantonsrat)
2006 – 2016Canton of Zug
Member of the cantonal parliament of Zug, elected in 2006. From 2009 to 2012 he served as parliamentary group leader (Fraktionschef) of the CVP.
Managing director of associations (Verbandsmanager)
2002 – 2008Various professional associations
Employed as managing director of associations, including mandates for energie-agentur-elektrogeraete (eae), swiss automotive aftermarket (SAA) and Kueche Schweiz.
Zdroj:vbs.admin.chLecturer / academic assistant, Contemporary History Department
1993 – 2003University of Fribourg
Teaching assistant (1993-1996) and academic assistant (1997-2000) at the Contemporary History Department under Prof. Urs Altermatt, and lecturer in 2003. His thesis dealt with Federal Councillor Philipp Etter of Zug.
Teacher
1984 – 1992Various schools (primary to baccalaureate level)
Held teaching positions at various levels, from primary school to baccalaureate school.
Zdroj:vbs.admin.ch
Vzdelanie
St Michael Teacher Training College (Lehrerseminar St. Michael), Zug
1984Teaching diploma (Primarlehrerpatent) · Primary education
Completed primary teacher training, qualifying him as a teacher.
Zdroj:vbs.admin.chUniversity of Fribourg
1996Master's degree (lic. phil.) · History and German studies
Studied history and German; his work included the history of Swiss Federal Councillors, with a thesis on Federal Councillor Philipp Etter of Zug.
Stanford University, USA
1996Visiting Scholar · History
Spent a period as a visiting scholar at Stanford University.
Zdroj:vbs.admin.chUniversity of St Gallen (Executive School of Management, Technology and Law)
2011Certificate of Advanced Studies (CAS) · Continuing education in politics (Weiterbildung fuer Politik)
Completed a CAS programme in political continuing education.
Zdroj:vbs.admin.ch
Kľúčové zákony
Proposed temporary VAT increase to finance the army
Defence financing / taxation2025
Pfister advanced a plan to finance higher army spending partly through a temporary increase of value-added tax (reported at around 0.8 percentage points from 2028 for about ten years), consistent with his stated preference for raising revenue rather than loosening the federal debt brake.
Význam: Signals his approach to defence financing through additional revenue rather than debt, a notable policy stance for the defence minister.
Army Despatch 2026 (Armeebotschaft 2026)
Defence / military procurement2026
As head of the defence department, Pfister presented the Federal Council's 2026 army despatch, which proposed an overall increase of around 3.4 billion francs and prioritised ground-based air defence, drone defence and cyber security. It included an additional credit (reported at roughly 394-400 million francs) for the F-35 fighter jet programme to cover cost increases since the popular vote, and indicated the planned fleet would be reduced from 36 to around 30 jets.
Význam: Central defence-financing package of Pfister's tenure, shaping Swiss rearmament priorities and the contested F-35 procurement.