The Swiss Armed Forces use three models of combat boots. The KS (from the German Kampfstiefel) 90, made from black leather and with a flat sole and used for marching on paved roads. The KS14 Schwer, made by the Italian enterprise AKU, is a heavy duty combat boot specially designed for the Swiss Army but also sold to civilians, with metal inserts to protect the foot. Every soldier receives, at the beginning of boot camp, two pairs of KS90 and one pair of KS14. Special Forces corpsmen are outfitted with another custom made boot, developed by the German Meindl for the Swiss Army, the KS08 Schwer AGFA. The KS08 is suitable for every environment, for parachute jumps and fast roping. It allows the mounting of crampons for rock climbing and, like the KS14, it has metal inserts to protect the feet. The army will introduce new boots (KS19 and KS19 Schwer) in the near future.
