Brigadier Gregor Metzler, currently Commander of the General Staff College, will become the new Head of the Swiss Armed Forces Training Command and be promoted to Corps Commander on February 1, 2026. He will take over this role from Corps Commander Hans-Peter Walser, who is retiring.
58-year-old Gregor Metzler is a qualified civil engineer HTL and worked in the private sector until 1997. After joining the Instruction Corps, he took on the role of unit instructor in the Mechanized and Light Troops schools from 1999 to 2000. Until 2002, he worked in the Army XXI planning team at the mechanized and light troops level and at the Federal Office for Combat Troops. In 2003, Brigadier Metzler was assigned as a staff officer in the Army Chief of Staff Training. From 2003, he was assigned to the Army’s higher cadre training program as Group Head of the Central School and Group Head of the General Staff School.
In 2009, Brigadier Metzler was appointed commander of Armored School 21. From June 1, 2013, he was Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces Higher Cadre Training. At the same time, he completed a part-time Master of Advanced Studies in Security Policy and Crisis Management at ETH Zurich, which he successfully completed in 2015. From November 1, 2015, he assumed the role of Deputy Commander of Central Schools and Command and Staff Training Course II and was also appointed Chief of Staff of Central Schools. On 1 January 2018, he was appointed commander of the tank/artillery training unit by the Federal Council and promoted to brigadier general at the same time. On 1 March 2022, Brigadier Metzler took over as Commander of Mechanized Brigade 11 and has been Commander of the General Staff College since 1 July 2023.
Corps Commander Walser had held numerous positions in the Armed Forces until the Federal Council appointed him as Chief of Training Command and Corps Commander and member of the Armed Forces Command on 1 January 2020. Since 2021, he has also been Deputy Chief of the Armed Forces.
Click here for further personnel news and here for further news about the Swiss Armed Forces.
