There have only been 100 serving Swiss Guards at any one time since their numbers were fixed in 1979. So competition to join this ancient and elite military corps (and possibly the smallest army in the world) is understandably fierce.
New recruits are drawn solely from unmarried practising Catholic males of Swiss citizenship, aged between 19 and 30 and no shorter in stature than 5ft 8in. Recruits must be known to be of a “good moral and ethical background” if they stand a chance of being accepted by the Vatican. Furthermore, they must be graduates, or have a professional diploma, and have completed at least basic training with armed forces at one of Switzerland’s military academies.
It would be an advantage to candidates if they had a working knowledge of modern weaponry and counter-terrorism techniques and strategies, given that the principal function of the corps is to protect the Pope, to whom they swear fealty.
Such requirements may seem unduly harsh and restrictive but in fact they have been relaxed in recent times. Candidates no longer must prove they are free of physical deformities, for instance, and nor are commanding officers drawn exclusively from families of noble lineage.
