Key facts
Since 2016, the Federal Department of Defence, Civil Protection and Sport (DDPS) has undertaken various initiatives to separate civilian and military IT. In this way, the DDPS wants to increase the autonomy and independence of mission-critical IT, strengthen security and improve cost effectiveness through efficiency gains in the future. To this end, it has already carried out projects amounting to CHF 116 million. The Swiss Federal Audit Office (SFAO) has audited two of these projects in the past. It is planned that the key project “separate and concentrate Armed Forces IT” (iTASK) will establish the organisational and process-related conditions for splitting the Defence Group’s ICT by the end of 2025. Implementation is due to take place as part of another iTASK project (iTASK-U). The aim is to remove the remaining complex interlinkages by means of a standard procedure, starting in 2026.
The SFAO audited iTASK for the first time. It assessed whether the Defence Group’s steering and operation of the iTASK project is appropriate and whether the project lays the groundwork for a successful splitting of services. As part of the audit, the SFAO also drew conclusions for the follow-on project iTASK-U. The SFAO found that the Defence Group has used iTASK to create tools for effecting the split. Given the significant complexity, however, the full splitting of the Defence Group’s ICT remains challenging. It is therefore important that Armed Forces management continues to support the project as regards prioritisation and implementation. At present, any statement regarding the prospects of success can only be made with reservations. Bearing in mind that certain elements still need to be refined and that the project is continuously incorporating new insights, the SFAO considers that the structures and instruments put in place are sufficiently mature for the forthcoming implementation of the split.