Pfister will replace the outgoing defence minister Viola Amherd on April 1. The government will now meet and quickly decide which of them will take over the defence ministry.

Pfister, 61, is the health minister in his native Zug canton in central Switzerland and cuts a rare figure in the Swiss government, having never served in the national parliament.

"I know the barracks better than the Federal Palace," he said, in his first speech before lawmakers.

"Switzerland's foundations -- trust, cooperation and stability -- have recently undergone some upheavals, both at home and abroad.

"We may be facing major geopolitical changes that will be particularly challenging for Switzerland in the coming years," notably in security policy, he said.

The seven seats in Switzerland's government are shared out 2-2-2-1 among the four main parties, under the so-called "magic formula" tacit agreement.

The centre-right party The Centre put up two candidates to replace their outgoing member Amherd, who in January announced her surprise resignation.

Pfister was the surprise winner, beating the better-known Markus Ritter, a lawmaker and president of the powerful Swiss Farmers' Union.

- European security -

Amherd had been criticised by the conservative right, who accused her of having undermined traditional Swiss neutrality during her six years as defence minister by seeking closer ties with NATO.

When serving as Switzerland's president last year -- a one-year position that rotates among the government members -- Ahmerd hosted the June 2024 Summit on Peace in Ukraine.

"Worldwide, the law of the strongest is increasingly prevailing. Since the Russian attack on Ukraine, the geopolitical situation has changed fundamentally," she said, in her farewell speech to parliament Wednesday.

"Europe must be able to rely on a secure Switzerland. We are therefore called upon to guarantee our own security and to make a significant contribution to the security of the continent."

Switzerland's long-standing position has been one of well-armed military neutrality and the country has mandatory conscription for men.

A historian and a trained teacher, Pfister became the Zug region's health minister in 2016 and chaired the cantonal government in 2021 and 2022. Before that he was in the Zug legislature from 2006 to 2016.

Swiss government ministers earn an annual gross salary of 477,688 Swiss francs ($541,650), plus an annual lump sum of 30,000 francs.

They also get two vehicles, a first class railway pass and a general pass on Switzerland's ski lifts.