The word to the readers: Elisabetta Trenta, a minister who likes the little big world of Defense and FFAA

(To David Rossi)
05/12/18

It never appears at the top of the approval rankings of the current government ministers1but probably the problem lies in the polls, not in the person. We talk about the minister2 of Defense, Elisabetta Trenta, of course. The readers' answer to the question about his work in these five months at the dicastery has been so abundant as to cause a real traffic jam3 for the writer: late, because of you friends readers, I limit myself to bring back, below the best songs extrapolated from your comments, many and almost always short. I decided, for reasons of opportunity, to grant anonymity to everyone, even to that part of the military personnel who did not ask for it and, in any case, to the citizens with a good visibility. At most, you will find your own name.

What to say? Minister Trenta is an interesting case because, obviously, it has an important impact on that part of the country he is dealing with (the Defense, the actual and reserve military personnel, the problems related to Security, the Armed Forces, etc.), but poor visibility outside. He is a minister ... niche, in short. But this "niche" is particularly pressing for us. Therefore, we will try to give voice to more than half of you, following a logical thread that will help us to better understand the "Thirty phenomenon". Or the "phenomenal Thirty", according to many!

Let's start with the families and the defense workers, because often the staff is placed behind political and technical issues. We will come back often and leave the conclusion to this. After 17 years of service, Lucia writes, I see a minister who ... tries to solve the problems of the military. Indeed, the Trenta, as another reader writes, has touched the heart of the issues that concern basic staff (rights and protections on work, health, family) with words and concrete measures. For years the staff was treated with mere rhetoric and only with empty words. Thanks to you and to the historical ruling of the Constitutional Court we will soon have, as in many European countries, the trade unions for the military to complete a process of democratization of and in the Armed Forces. Also for this reason it is very criticized, even "from above", see the resistance of many vertices, as no minister has defended in recent years!

Some strategic decisions appear not to have the support of the political party of which it is an expression ...

She moved well despite being nominated and therefore not elected. It's not easy to do your job in a party that does not like FFAA ". Obviously, "His management skills will be tested by some situations set before his mandate, but it will be her to define, the most important of which is the F35 program, an asset that is redefining strategy and tactics, and will place at FFAA a challenge that, if you want to have national defcon skills, should be collected, and you know it. Its task, quite complex, will be to make it clear to the M5S component of the government, which will be under enormous pressure from an electoral base that disregards for each party every concept of area strategy, of whatever nature it is. And then France and Germany, which are substantially questioning the existence of NATO, despite not having the means. We have naval procurement programs shared with them, very important, and we should avoid making the end of Greece for the choices of this government. 

Politics is the art of the possible, as well as of the compromise, and the M5S base will still have to be appeased in some way. My opinion is therefore positive, taking into account the context in which it must and will have to work.

Of course, the choices to be made are very difficult, jokes - says the reader Sergio - between the hammer of electoral promises and the anvil of harsh reality. Immediate lead times against the "Macronian" project of a joint European army. An ambitious plan, to be carefully evaluated. However, the Italian absence from the European Intervention Initiative generates questions that for us, laymen of the sector, could be read as a "reasonable doubt" about the nebulous French initiative, or as yet another lost opportunity in the European chessboard. at the time) the judgment. Surely it is a wink to the USA and a loud raspberry to France (it was time!). Face the not easy F-35 quagmire, since eliminating or reducing the current orders (also signed by today's opposition) would lead to further penalties and employment repercussions; a sober vision that the predecessors did not have? While cutting off a priori the possibility of new purchases of these controversial (not to say "buggy") platforms, Trenta hesitates by containing the damage of previous decisions (and short-sighted second thoughts ), but without giving us a glimpse of future improvements Thirty "fully halfway agree" on the maintenance of Muos, the mega strategic radar for to NATO (and for an Italy still convinced of being a regional power in the Mediterranean). The Grillini activists who would like to dismantle it to the delight of pro-Russians and environmentalists upset, causing inevitable internal fractures in the party, immediately diluted by the art of procrastination: an issue postponed to the ("epochal") summit in Palermo. While we wait for the minister at the depleted uranium gate, we note that the promised defense cuts (the government's ATM?), Will be there and it seems we can see the will to strangle the already proven National Defense, perhaps returning under a NATO umbrella (especially USA) and dissociating itself from pro-European aims of autonomy.

Actually, the minister has seemed quite realistic in these 5 months: has shown that politics is not made of "miracles" but of everyday life, built with slow and tireless dedication. From the proposed modification of the rules of the Sophia mission, to the constant presence in each event dedicated to the armed forces, to the commitments presided over to monitor and tend towards the stabilization of Libya, it can be said that the minister's attention was aimed at understanding those who they were the deficits of the past, with a clear critical analysis, and, what will be the future challenges for national security.

Not that, according to the readers, he has done little, indeed: according to Nicola, the minister has taken important steps in these 5 months ... see the survey on the purchase of F35, the redevelopment of the disused barracks, the interest on the condition of the staff ..., the public recognition of the errors committed (case of Cervia) and also avoiding a possible conflict 'interests.

His colleague Alessandro adds that we are before the figure of a Minister of Defense who, compared to those who preceded him, not only has specific skills and experiences what are they doing the right person in the right place ma also courage and determination in dealing with topics that have been neglected or understated until now: I am thinking of the military affairs affected by depleted uranium rather than the commitment to carefully follow the events of those affected by "post-conflict trauma" (in this opening of the veterans center).

Already, on the protection of personnel we will return later, but the writer likes to insist on the importance of protection of personnel and health of personnel, whether civil or, indeed, military. Very important aspect because often the state of health is put in the background, be it physical or mental health, pay attention to these aspects, in my opinion is essential, especially for those who are committed to protect our safety.
Suffice it to think of those who suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder, following particularly strong experiences in the places where they have served, I imagine, for example, the places where conflicts and war take place.
 in this sense, the reader confides a lot in the savings of 1,5 billion, to be allocated to the welfare of personnel, barracks and equipment, through the suspension of some armaments programs.

La Trenta has the pulse of the situation of what we called the "niche" of Defense and, as we said, a special eye for the staff: Surely ... he has touched the ground, he knows the thought and the needs of both non-executive and civil staff of the FA. The way in which he updates the staff of his Ministry's work and the initiative towards the families they have suffered " wrongs "from the FA

The minister has the quality of a great communicator, deriving not only from the support of the 5 Stars Movement but also from the teaching experience: as always the accounts are done at the end - says Luigi - however, sowing well is always the best starting point. We see it every day, starting with the editorials on the defense website, the interviews on TV, the interventions on social media .. as far as I have been able to follow it, so far it has not stopped a second. Can we ask for more? I do not think so. I can not (but how many could) get too much on the technicalities of a Ministry, so difficult to judge the work from such a high point of view, but in my (our?) Small, we really can not complain (even if everything is always perfect, obvious). Personally I have never needed big examples to follow, because as a Commander of men I tried to be, but the most profound truth is that we all need a point of reference.

It is undeniable that the Trenta has the merit of knowing the subject without being a high official: in short, has knowledge of the case and has no summary processes to celebrate. The former minister was not present - due to political commitments - and very maneuvered by the chief of staff of the defense, while, according to prof. Ranieri Razzante, Elisabetta has a different dimension of awareness of the sector, and an experience that guarantees. Yes, because carry out its role with full knowledge of the facts and without being piloted by third parties it seems the best method for make the Armed Forces work better.

Can we say it? The minister also has a "maternal" dimension that no one calls this way, but that exists and inspires confidence: in addition to being the minister of defense is also a woman ... who in recent months has shown courage and determination ... I consider her one of the best ministers of this government. An institutional figure that sees little but who works hard, carrying forward facts and not words, according to Ambrogio.

There are also those who met people and spoke with words of appreciation, like Alessandro, a former naval sergeant, now on absolute leave due to service having become disabled, paraplegic: I got to know Minister Trenta through Gspd and for what little was possible, I got to know a real, humble and attentive person.

There is no lack of those who get caught up in an almost messianic enthusiasm: like Antonio, according to whom la Trenta it is the answer to the numerous prayers of help that many soldiers have done to the Lord Jesus.

There is no shortage of surprising comments, like that of Arturo Minister Elisabetta Trenta is working to give dignity to the military profession in a non-aggressive and bellicose perspective. In this the minister shows that she knows and defends constitutional values. His work is made difficult by the conservative and neo-fascist components unfortunately present in the government structure. But also Davide: Dr. Trenta presented herself to the Defense with elegance without sword or shield ... Heir to complex dossiers, she took well-considered and shareable decisions. Among the many, due to a progressively thinned budget, she preferred to foresee a time delay of some modernization projects in order to avoid staff cuts in terms of numbers and salaries ... She proved to be a tireless worker, with a marked tendency to be "in the midst of we". It is a surprise, a pleasure, talking with "your" soldiers always tends to remember you are first an Officer of the selected reserve then our Minister of Defense, creating a truly unique empathy with everyone. She is one of us

The military "mission" and "field" military experience of the minister can not go unnoticed: Elisabetta Trenta is very much at home with the Defense personnel. The famous "niche effect" derives perhaps from this: the minister can best propose himself only in the military field. But where it really gives a lot: The fact that the Minister has military precedents, who has lived for long periods in camps scattered in areas of intensive operations, that has lined up in the Italian country cafeterias waiting for his turn to consume a meal ..., otherwise from most of his colleagues, probably contributes to create a spontaneous and particular relationship with all the men and women with the stars!

All that glitters is not all gold. Do not miss the (few) negative comments, among which we have selected this: Thirty: a disaster. He has never defended the needs of the Italian defense, especially in the face of the ideologues of his party, who suffered for wanting to pay the slackers, that is, to themselves. He has not even defended its history: the squalid, to say the least, "propaganda" video of the military condition on the occasion of the 4th November 2018, centenary of Vittorio Veneto, is a demonstration of how his ministry sees the FFAA: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aSgUKCf1UX8 The irresolute and stuttering positions on the F-35 or the renunciation of the CAMM-ER missile are what has so far been able to produce. A typical defense minister, worthy of the worst Italy, with the "i" minuscule4.

On the other hand, we have some who exaggerate a little, at least at the beginning: Minister Trenta is more than a minister of a single dicastery, he is the expression of Coherence, Justice, Modernity, Determination. She is a capable woman and always up to the role. Then, continuing to read, we understood that so much enthusiasm comes from the need to protect the children involved in the Armed Forces: I hope, as a mother, that we continue like this, that we do politics more for mission and a little less for profession, thank you Minister for the excellent work you are doing and perhaps, for our little ones, tomorrow will be a better day. There is little to laugh, dear reader that now you have a sarcastic grimace on the face: Thirty or not Thirty, too many times the military personnel has been treated as a number, not as "mother's children". It is thus, forgetting that the Defense is made of men of flesh and bones and citizens worthy of respect, which has arrived at cases like these, which the writer has left at the end only because he wants them to remain etched in the mind of the reader: I am a victim of duty, I start with this. A huge difference in dealing with the uranium question. I remember some attempt on the television program Le Iene the former minister walked away without answering the journalists' question. La Trenta in first person made herself feel close to the Victims by talking about them without hiding anything from the first moment of taking office, the problem must be solved with the utmost commitment. For me this is enough to understand whether to prefer the Pinotti or the Trenta.

FFAA. Some burning issues have been brought to the fore by the minister, not least that of depleted uranium. Even before that of the unjustly accused soldier who was reinstated and received by yourself. While it is correct that the minister must deal with defense in general, it is also true that detailed cases are managed equally in the same way.

  

Dear reader, this time the editorialist David Rossi does not add much more of his own, except for a very personal wish. The minister may like it or not, it can be judged competent or ineffective, but certainly it was the only true element of change and "popular" of a government that has so far thrown a lot of smoke in the eyes. In the midst of the grillina government team, it makes a great impression. Imagine only if they put Danilo "gaffeur" Toninelli at the Ministry of Via XX Settembre ... Brava, bravissimo or punto brava: however you judge, Elisabetta Trenta was a good breath of fresh air, a pleasant surprise for a ministry (and a sector) that has not had much luck in the last few decades. We hope it will last and not be removed at the next reshuffle.

  

2 The writer refuses to use the expression "minister", simply as a cacophony. Those who use it, only for reasons of "political correctness" make me feel sorry.

3 At the beginning, I confess it, even the doubt that the answers were a bit "piloted". Doubt solved only partially.

4 Forgive us the reader: the writer refuses to write the name of the homeland with the minuscule.

(photo: Ministry of Defense / Online Defense)