This week, an Ethiopian Airlines flight was hijacked by its own copilot who was seeking asylum in Switzerland. Italian and French fighter jets responded, but the Swiss didn't. And that's because the Swiss Air Force was closed.
The copilot of the Ethiopian Airlines flight ended up landing the plane in Geneva and scrambling down a rope to the tarmac where he surrendered to police. Nobody was injured. But the big question is where the hell was the Swiss Air Force.
Apparently, they were closed:
The Swiss airforce is only available during office hours. These are reported to be from 8am until noon, then 1:30 to 5pm.
"Switzerland cannot intervene because its airbases are closed at night and on the weekend," Swiss airforce spokesman Laurent Savary said, adding: "It's a question of budget and staffing."
Switzerland hasn't fought a war in ages since they declared neutrality, but this is a top tip to would be invaders, as Slate notes. If you want to get into Switzerland for a light bit of taking over the nation, try doing it at night or on weekends. Let's form a posse and make a Jalop paradise of motoring bliss. There are some damn good roads there...