Samuel Schmid (born January 8, 1947) has been a member of the Swiss Federal Council since 2000. He is the head Federal Department of Defence, Civil Protection and Sports (notably acting as a defense minister for Switzerland).
He was elected to the Federal Council on December 6, 2000. He was a member of the Swiss People's Party (SVP/UDC), and is now a member of the Conservative Democratic Party of Switzerland. During his time in office he has held the Federal Department of Defence, Civil Protection and Sports. In 2004, he was the vice-President of the Confederation and President in 2005.
Schmid was a member of the SVP's centrist/agrarian wing. He was put under pressure by the party's nationalist wing, led by former Federal Councilor Christoph Blocher, for taking a moderate stance on certain issues. After the SVP became the largest party in the Federal Assembly in the 2003 federal elections, the SVP threatened to yank Schmid off the council if it didn't get an additional seat (which eventually went to Blocher).
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