Dear Director, We kindly ask you to publish this letter, so open, heartfelt and truthful, concerning how necessary it is to “save” the Navy from a critical situation and this in the interest of the country. In fact, today this is the situation of the Navy in extreme synthesis: understaffed by thousands of men and women; operational activities have increased significantly and are set to grow further; the permanence of naval units at sea and away from home has increased exponentially; the work of the military, in this situation, has become particularly complex, burdensome and stressful; the mobility of personnel and their families, already very high due to the nature of the bases and ships, is even more accelerated; every year hundreds of navy personnel, moreover, transfer to civilian employment, worsening an already critical work and personnel situation; the public competitions for enlistment see numbers participating that are unable to fill the same positions put up for competition; etc.
Furthermore, the Navy is not only “used” as a defense tool but also in situations of humanitarian crisis, in the management of migratory phenomena, for natural disasters, etc., exploiting its naval vessels and its men even more.
The Navy, then, has very evident and particular specificities that distinguish it from other armed forces. As a minimal example, just think of the impact that the use of a single naval unit or of an entire traveling community made up of fathers and mothers who leave their loved ones and needs for long periods and without any possible prior planning has (the latest addition - Nave Trieste – which can take on board 1055 soldiers, has a direct impact estimated, by default, on over 3000 people considering only direct family members).
We need to increase the staff immediately and we need to give strong, concrete and real signals of attention in the current contractual moment in place!
A situation that is no longer sustainable SIM Marina, the trade union representing the Navy, asks the government and all institutions to pay attention with the utmost urgency!
We must support the personnel of the Italian Navy especially in this very difficult international moment, with the awareness that the Navy is a fundamental instrument for the good and security of the Country. A different attitude will mean condemning the Country to deprive itself, in fact, of an indispensable military and peace instrument! It is not up to us to underline the fundamental importance, especially for a Nation that projects itself on the sea like Italy, of having a strong Navy that is up to the current challenges, but if all the Institutions do not immediately remedy this critical situation, the Navy could suffer a decisive blow. SIM Marina will continue to keep the attention high without reserve - by any means, in any place and on any occasion - on this very difficult situation for the good of the military personnel, of the Navy and in the primary interest of the country.
Warner Greco (Secretary General SIM Marina)
In the photo (source MM) the Trieste
