The country in the world with the less widespread military culture is probably Italy. By "culture" I do not mean that contained in the mind of some expert or in dusty bookshops, I mean the popular one, the one available among the common people, the knowledge that could be drawn from a bar in the morning.
This is not a criticism, it is a factual statement.
So I will not stop to ask myself if it is the result of decades of ideologies (gone bad) or even if the consequence of the defeat of the last century. In other countries we can easily tell what a soldier does on a mission while here we can only say that a tool for war is used, in very hot or at least "lively" places, to download aid and to tell in front of the cameras how much he misses his mother or girlfriend.
A few years ago, the defense of transporting journalists in the theater of operations was banned: an accident and the government would fall.
The AMX who have just returned from Afghanistan have operated with only the 20mm on board. Surely they have done an excellent job of prevention and surveillance thanks to the new tactical reconnaissance pods and have "acoustically" deterred many attackers, however when our soldiers found themselves under enemy fire and needed a JDAM (bomb) it was another coalition aircraft that dropped it.
"Our planes do not carry bombs!". Yes, we use those of others ...
This is the hypocrisy of our politics and, alas, it will be for a long time.
But this is not a criticism, it is a factual statement.
With these starting conditions, a few weeks ago, the defense ministry published the "guidelines" for the definition of the evolution strategy of the military instrument over the next fifteen years.
Few pages that sum up with sober honesty the state of the armed forces, the international dangers, the scarce resources available and possible developments.
But there is something new! To help draft the government text by the end of the year, all citizens are called to contribute.
What an idea! First we tell the military world as it was the land of the Mini Ponies (cartoon for children, ed.) And then we ask the recipients for feedback and proposals.
Politically it is a correct move for a single career, technically I see it as an insult to the daily work of an army of workers, in uniform and in civilian clothes.
Now, if in times of championship the Italians become all coaches, in times of white paper they will become all generals, even ministers of defense.
Andrea Cucco
Who wants to help the government on armed forces, police corps reform, F35, etc., can send their "thought contribution" to the email librobianco@difesa.it
