Dr. Christian Bühlmann is an Associate Fellow within the Global Fellowship Initiative of the Geneva Centre for Security Policy (GCSP). He currently works as Regional Strategic Director at SICPA SA, a market leader in security inks for banknotes as well as a leading provider of secured authentication, identification, traceability and supply chain solutions. He has over 35 years of civilian and military experience.
Previously, he was a career officer (Colonel, general staff) in the Swiss Armed Forces for more than 20 years. His last position was a decade-long secondment to the GCSP as Director, centre support and development (Chief of Staff) between July 2021 and February 2024. Previously, he led the Diplomatic Dialogue (2019-2021) and the Regional Perspectives Programme (2014-2018) at the centre.
Prior to this assignment, he gained extensive experience in the fields of defence policy and military policy and strategy as a senior advisor to the Chief of the Swiss Armed Forces. His previous positions include Head of Doctrine Research and Development (as a regular officer) and Head of Defence Sales in a major Swiss company (as a civilian).
Christian holds a Ph. D. in political science from the University of Lausanne (2023). His doctoral thesis is entitled Acteurs et transformations de la politique de défense suisse (1948-2008). He is also a qualified Engineer in Computer Science (MSc equivalent) from the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (1988). In 2007, he attended the Royal College of Defence Studies in London. He was awarded a Master of Arts degree in international studies from King's College London (2008).
Dr Bühlmann has lectured on global security, co-authored a book on Colonel Daniel Reichel, an original Swiss military thinker, and published numerous articles on military doctrine, strategy, defence policy, and history.
He is president of the Société romande des armes spéciales (SRAS), one of the oldest military societies in Switzerland, and a member of the board of the Swiss Association for Military History and Science (ASHSM).