Dear Director, I am writing to you because recently consulting the site of the defense staff in the tender notices section I had the opportunity to come across a strange tender notice, downloadable at following link. If readers try to download the file, as I did out of curiosity, they will find with great surprise that the defense staff has launched a procedure for the assignment of a free temporary collaboration assignment to personnel outside the Defense.
One would immediately ask oneself to do what but above all who is he who would lend his knowledge and his work for free?
Surely for country's sake or a benefactor who, either is already generously paid or retired, because otherwise it would not be explained why someone should make their knowledge available simply as a hobby.
I find this announcement really strange. Point 1 then reads (I quote verbatim) that the defense staff intends to make use of a professional figure to guarantee qualified support for the defense staff in the field of geopolitics and national and international security to which to entrust study assignments and specialist consultancy, in order to deepen every issue of defense interest, with particular reference to the geopolitical analysis of the main crisis areas and the Mediterranean countries as well as to the activities connected with the implementation of the new defense model derived from the White Paper for international security and defense.
This alone is enough for me to ask myself and ask her and the attentive readers of her webmagazine if it is ever possible that the defense staff, despite the numerous military, generals and admirals on duty and even retired, are looking for external consultants on subjects for which it is perhaps difficult to think that there is a more expert expert than a soldier?
Add also what happened to our men and intelligence analysts, who to me turn out to be among the best in the world?
It is, to say the least, inadmissible that in this sector the Armed Forces ask for support from external consultants and therefore consider themselves implicitly incompetent. If so then it would be wise for the defense minister to think carefully and the good Lord save us.
It intrigued me so much that I started asking some friends for some information with their stars and to my surprise I learned that there are some consultants and pseudo-spin doctors that, perhaps, they also boast untruthful academic titles that have been populating for years the undergrowth of Palazzo Baracchini (Ministry of Defense, ed.) and the buildings of Via XX Settembre, generating many discontent among those who, with stars, dedicated all his life and professionalism in the art of war or in the study of strategy and geopolitics.
A name that occurs very frequently, for years now, is that of the president of the Center for International Studies in Rome, Dr. Andrea Margelletti, who made a name for himself thanks to his presence in Rai television studios at the time of the second Gulf War and since then he has obviously been able to gain the trust and favors of some military leaders, and not only, because they perhaps saw him as the media spokesman for some positions and points of view, at the time, perhaps not very popular.
I return to the initial question, without absolutely wanting to question the professional value and preparation of the president of the Ce.SI, which are not in question, but are they really so unique that they cannot be found within the military world? Or do you need a man to spend on talk shows in defense of a white paper that leaks water from all fronts?
Perhaps Margelletti will not be the chosen candidate also because with her past in armed force and her previous counseling I would say "gatta ci cova".
However, if the defense wanted to insist on finding these skills outside, then it could raise strong doubts about the capabilities of our military leaders, who instead have demonstrated their appreciated skills, preparation and professionalism several times and in different national and international contexts. It is strange that these competences are not considered by the maximum summit of defense!
To its readers the arduous sentence.
