In times of heated discussions on military spending, on further cuts to the F-35, on the case of the two he still marched in India, but above all after attending the ceremony of commemoration of killing and release, after 47 days of imprisonment, of the major (today general) Bellini at the time of the first Gulf War (see article), I naturally have a comparison with what the 23 armed forces were years ago.
With a mission of "international police" we participated with the usual constitutional hypocrisy to a real war mission to liberate Kuwait, a country occupied by force.
We joined the international coalition in offensive actions with eight relatively modern Tornados, certainly up to the required tasks.
The other equipment?
I personally remember that in the barracks we still had the Garand (American rifles dating back to the Second World War), the M113 (troop transport vehicles dating back to the early 60 years), mortars from 120mm (with a smooth core, with a maximum range just over half of those supplied today) and the "short 9" (a Beretta that made question about the presence in the 90 of those Roman numbers engraved on the trolley ...).
Not to mention the rest: camouflage (monochrome), helmets (M33 del1933!) Or hand grenades (SRCM 1935!) ...
In short, they were armed forces based on numbers on paper that, thanks to God, except for rare exceptions, were distorted and extraordinarily improved in terms of quality.
The equipment was incomparable to the current ones and the training was on average poor.
Yet Bellini and the "colleague" Cocciolone returned.
When they were shot down those men had just hit the assigned target and for two days they did not hear from them. They could have been eliminated without problems.
What do you save them then?
I want to think that it was a weapon that all the money in the world can not buy: the political weight of Italy at the time.
It was still the first republic: corrupt, stinking and decadent, but represented by politicians who did and knew how to do politics.
What do we need today for the F-35, stealth aircraft, if, as was the case for the AMX in Afghanistan, we send them to the theater unarmed?
What is a Cavour for if we then have to upload illegal immigrants by the name of "migrants"? Almost like modern Mayflower pilgrims!
On this point I do not question that they are poor desperate in search of help, but why compel them to risk the skin by making rich smugglers and unscrupulous smugglers?
We send Tirrenia, not the Navy, to take them directly to Africa. With tickets from 2-3000 dollars apiece, less road to travel (and in a straight line) maybe we would balance the budget.
But above all: what would we need twice the F-35 or Cavour if, without respect and international consideration, we can not enforce even the most basic rights of two fellow citizens, hostages of the Italian cialtroneria in a foreign country from 900 days ?
Andrea Cucco
