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Actually Switzerland has a long and interesting military history. At present the Swiss militia potentially represents the largest armed forces of any country in the world on a per capita basis outside Israel.
For much of their history since independence from the Holy Roman Empire, Swiss mercenaries were a major export of the country with many countries employing them. In Lucerne there is a stunning sculpture of a wounded lion that commemorates the Swiss soldiers who died protecting the Royal family of France during the French revolution.
The fact that they haven't been invaded for centuries (unlike all other European nations) suggest that a combination of strong armed neutrality and being a useful neutral ground for various activities is not a bad policy.
Malcolm
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