A revolution has just taken place in Italy. But we did not notice ...

(To Andrea Cucco)
01/06/16

"I remember years ago, around the 1984 around, such an event was organized at the Genoa fair. Endless pickets and riots. If I remember correctly it was closed early and never done again ..."

When last year we visited the IDEF (see video), the Turkish Defense salon, these were the words that commented on one of the published videos. They stayed in my mind.

We observed the impressive number of companies in an industrial sector that alone could vary some national GDP and with dejection we realized how far Italy was from that source of wealth. Absolutely not for capacity, but for masochistic will.

When it comes to the arms trade, common thinking goes to sandy tracks where trucks unload crates of contraband rifles destined for warring factions. The reality is that the 99,9% of the market concerns armed forces or institutional, legitimate and legal police forces.

The one just concluded in La Spezia can be defined without exaggeration as a historical event for our country. 119 companies have arranged to meet for an event that represents a milestone: the first salon on the sea and ... on Defense (!), Held in Italy by - to bear witness to the aforementioned testimony - over 40 years.

What struck of Seafuture & Maritime Technologies 2016?

Certainly, despite the satisfaction of many operators, not the crowd of public. It was an initiative dedicated to professionals, the first of international scope. The crowds of people that run off pistols or do jump for air tank with anti-tank simulators they are still far away.

The type of activity linked to a world to be discovered was impressive: starting from the products, prototypes and projects of giants such as Leonardo, Fincantieri or MBDA, dozens and dozens of small and medium-sized enterprises are discovered that are able to compete internationally.

A great applause must undoubtedly be attributed to the Navy that it hosted Seafuture & Maritime Technologies 2016 in their own Arsenal of La Spezia. This armed force is going far beyond the merits of the much celebrated "dual use". We are at least a "triple use": a few years ago he exposed himself to criticisms and fierce accusations for having supported an initiative to promote Italian companies circunnavigating Africa with the aircraft carrier Cavour. Ne dthey raised contracts that gave oxygen to many businesses.

Three years after that "cruise", the Navy is once again a convinced promoter of Made in Italy. Honor to so much courage and contempt of the danger ... media.

It is therefore time to support a sector that deserves much greater consideration and respect on the part of the Italians. The tafazziano cheap-minded pacifism has led us to occupy ridiculous portions of the market. If only for the jobs given away abroad.

During a recent conference on international missions I found colleagues asking what national interests were in certain areas: they were demanding them to justify the costs of the missions! The themselves, a few decades ago, were scandalized and provoked parliamentary questions for the sole hypothesis of national interests in certain operational areas. Do you remember Iraq?

A few more holes to make in the belt as they have changed the perception of things today, even in the most squeamish ...

We hope that the next editions of Seafuture they can amplify the military vocation, host more and more productive realities, some ministers (...) and a large public discovering an Italy of which to be proud.

I leave you with the vision of some testimonies from the salon just ended.

Good vision!