The Swiss Air Force did not participate in international exercises during the period of the "Cold War" out of fear that a potential enemy would no longer consider the country as neutral. The leaders were aware that the then current training might be insufficient in a war situation. Experiences of other countries showed the the need for a so called DACT program (DACT = Dissimilar Air Combat Training).
Once the Swiss Air Force felt ready to participate in multinational exercise with an adequate equipment, it started to do so. The first such opportunity took place in 1999 with the Nomad exercise in England. However that exercise did not take place due to NATO’s involvement in former Yugoslavia.