Readers speak about the challenges for the defense world: we need to intervene before it is too late

(To David Rossi)
13/06/19

My countryman, great historian and journalist Giovanni Spadolini became Minister of Defense - where today we have Elisabetta Trenta - in the 1983 at the age of 57 years, managing the challenges of the Cold War and Middle Eastern crises with a sense of responsibility and realistic Atlantism. At almost the same age - month over, month less - Francesco Cossiga became President of the Republic in the 1985. He had been Minister of the Interior, in place of Matteo Salvini, in years when six mafias and a dozen terrorist organizations left several murder victims, kidnappings and robberies every week in the streets of Italy. The reader may not believe it, but I have always considered them older than they actually were. Perhaps it is because in the meantime the whole country has aged: in the year of my maturity (I am an "1975 class") the examinees were almost a million. Last year they were less than half: we age because ... there are no real youngsters and those like me, as they get older, become more plaintive and pessimistic. However, on closer inspection, our readers have raised so many of those questions that at a certain point I understood how not to complain, but to serious challenges. This explains why the seat of Defense Minister is not at all coveted: personnel, means, planning, alliances ... The sector is in great difficulty and needs the personal commitment of its managers to obtain and maintain flows of ideas, qualifications, projects and above all of vile money.

Before leaving the word to the readers, my thoughts go, with respectful feelings, to Dr. Trenta who follows us like lurker and sometimes wand some readers because they insist on giving us confidence. Minister, meanwhile, I greet you: I believe that you are very busy - so I see you on the Ministry website - and you have no time, after bagging with the readers, to accept or reject a proposal to publish your positions as readers. You know, I like to think that Giovanni Spadolini, who was just five years older than you when he became Minister of Defense, if he had lived today he would have written us a benevolent e-mail, explaining his thoughts from that gentleman he was, without entering into sterility controversy and offense, even out of respect for the hundreds of thousands of readers who follow us... Nor would the great Spadolini have ever dreamed of forcing those subjected to positions who would never have taken the hierarchical bond without1. Doctor, don't be afraid of confrontation, especially with sincere critics, who don't have it with you like Elisabetta Trenta. The topic is adulators, those who only cover her with praise on social media and those who hide problems and after poverty promise to abolish even security challenges..

Already, the challenges to security. But what challenges for the Armed Forces?

  1. The "yes man" mentality. We need to find the strength to say what we think. In due ways but on every occasion and above all in the Major States, where one has the duty to "think about the future".

  2. The problem of the advanced average age of the Armed Forces. In a little while those who go to do missions will go there as grandfather ... We need to lower the average age. Also with American or French solutions.

  3. Investments. In EU terms, but they are serious and reasoned and not someone's whim. Dictated by a national defense strategy and tied to the interests ... Of the State.

  4. Strategy ... Does it exist? Who has seen it?

  5. Employment of staff. Career progression and daylight transfers, public rankings and the possibility of planning one's life.

  6. Simplification of administrative procedures. Even at the cost of paying a little more in corruption. Too many laws and bonds block the administration.

Does Italy really deserve the Armed Forces up to par?

A premise: if you want to start evaluating the economic and social health of a country, start with the Armed Forces. They never lie about the real health of the country. They govern? Are they rich? Variegated? Poor and opposed? We also talk about priorities on the Armed Forces, but acting on them, in my opinion is like trying to fill the cracks of an earthquake-damaged and unsafe building. We must act on the foundations and building codes upstream of everything. I could say that you need a marina worthy of a peninsula. Lower the average age of operators with image campaigns. Avoid throwing money at old armor and unreliable F35 and investing in research on drones, electronics and proven platforms. But it would be wasted energy. In my opinion, the Armed Forces must enter schools with technical, sporting and cultural programs. Dispel once and for all the stereotype of warmongers, and be seen as Firefighters and Mountain Rescue, and not as the "cops" from "safe roads" or bent to close holes in the streets. The priorities are cultural and mental, the rest are just words, time and money wasted. They must also be attractive for national civil and private investments, not only for adventurers or handcuffs, therefore supported by banking and business plans ... but here we return to the starting point: in a country that cannot manage procurement, taxation, education, banks and health, what do we want to expect from the Armed Forces, if not that of being fatal messengers of a malaise that does NOT belong to them?

It's time to change gear and ... direction

When I was little, I remember, they aired a TV show called On the Roads of California. Many of the young readers will never have seen others, perhaps yes, I have always been impressed by a sentence (don't ask me why) that a protagonist disgusted by the times went to a friend: "they are replacing iron men with wooden batons with wooden-headed men and iron batons ... "I could say that the priorities are training, the cyberwar, swarm drones, but the real priority of the defense is and will always be one: the soldier. I am convinced that at the center of every organization, whatever the person, and as important as the tools are if those people do not feel the support of their leaders and their country, they will never be able to seize success. If I think of initiatives like that of removing 5 rifles, if perhaps laudable, or of the "useful idiots" who have exhibited banners and written graffiti during the recent gathering of the Alpine troops in Milan, I believe that this kind of thing is a slap to all those men and women to whom this state normally requires great sacrifices, many times silent ... If the country does not reverse this trend we will soon have not only wooden heads but wooden heads that will propose the war from 8 to 5, with lunch break clearly, and will they say that the enemy is so our fault that we do not understand and understand ... or are we already there?

Co la Franza or ... co la Franza

We are in 2019 (specific for those who believed they were in another era). We look at our country with the eyes of an alien who studies where in the world to dock his space boat loaded with small aliens. What country is Italy? Logistically inconvenient, perhaps too long territorially; the banks are French, the main companies are now all French, telecommunications are obviously controlled by the French, the efficient healthcare system in patches of color, the politics partly chaotic, partly in French hands, also check the various CEOs or CEOs of our former companies; if you find Italians let me know. Also check in what periods some important business leaders have committed suicide, hanged, died "of natural cancer", under investigation or otherwise; cross everything with the various governments and historical events and you will see some good ones. Why on earth should we have an efficient army? Maybe we raise our heads? Maybe "mom" Thirty with the "dual use" story is trying to militarize what they don't want us to do ?! Perhaps it occurs to us to ask some European agency of weight, such as Space or Natural Pharmaceuticals, national destinations diverted to Germany and the Netherlands. Chemical and space war go… The alien then calls the Fairy: he likes Italy but must be modified. The fairy then turns a League player into a Nationalist who tries (finally really), convinces the Italians that ITALY exists. Not all, however many, are still convinced that Europe… oops! Sorry, France is the future, With her magic wand the fairy makes all the CEOs, CEOs and boards of directors of companies Italian, creates a system thanks to which those who enlist in the armed forces are GUARANTEED AUTOMATIC passage to police forces or in public facilities, so that a young man who gives Italy the best years of his life is not forced to beg for an underpaid job as a night watchman; at the same time it spreads homeland in the territory, FEELING LOVED BY YOUR COUNTRY and not exploited. At the time of the Caesars, the Legionnaire was dismissed, he was guaranteed a piece of land to cultivate and he contributed to progress: this was the State !!! Let's set up the country, we need a state (citizens, companies, structures, industries) with national and international interests; the patriotic government exists with all its strengths and weaknesses but we need Italians for us and for Europe if it still exists. Legal private security agency also in Italy that looks after international interests?

Three priorities that we should discuss for hours ...

Regardless of any political color, I believe that this Government, or the next if new elections were to be used, should focus its activities on the following topics:

1. Financing of international missions currently underway. It is known, in fact, that I am extending from 31 last December, the expiry date of the previous loan. All this entails serious responsibilities, especially in terms of international credibility.

2. Financing of the anti-aircraft missile CAMM ER. Developed together with the English, the latter cannot assume all the consequent burdens, all the more so because they are currently indispensable instruments to guarantee the worthy (and already delayed) replacement of the current Spada batteries.

3. Entry and related financing in the Tempest project. We can't wait any longer. The Eurofighter is a fantastic fighter, and we know it, but it is from 4 ^ generation. If we adhere to the Tempest now, we enter the project by co-developers and, perhaps between 15 years, we will have the 1 * online, ready for the scenario and the national use. If we wait further, we buy a fighter that will be developed for the British, who have an airspace too different from the Italian one, and therefore the "wrong" fighter for us (which we will have to compensate with further adaptation and pilot training expenses, see Tornado ADV).

The defense minister is an antimilitarist. Yes, no, maybe ...

The problems concerning the ability to fight have always been ignored by a country that has in its historical DNA the day 8 September 1943. So, better be humanitarian, otherwise they'll beat us! Even if they hit us anyway (Kindu, Mogadishu, Nassiriya ...). The current Minister of Defense, who is part of a clearly anti-militarist party and interprets its requests, will aggravate the problems: yes "inclusion", no F-35, no CAMM missile, no "five rifles", no ... Not expect a leap in operational capabilities. PS: will the "Trieste ship" be "amphibious" or "ambiguous"?

Old armed forces make bad stock!

The Armed Forces (and police) have aged. The most urgent thing is absolutely the recruitment of young drummer levers, and the dismissal of the 50enni who are no longer needed. More fitting comparison: young national football team wins, old national football team loses. The rest is secondary.

The Maritime Republic

Hello, very interesting question. On the one hand, an infinite series of specific and "immediate" problems could be rattled off, the priority of which would be strictly dependent on the experience inside or outside the Armed Forces, but inevitably partial, of each one. On the other hand, one could fall into a general need for more funds available by shifting the question of how and where to find them, but the location of which would still fall into the first hypothesis. We know, however, that the expense does not correspond directly to the yield (Kingdom of Saud docet) therefore, in a context of limited resources, a "bottom-up" approach would seem to me to be a loser: everyone would pull a strip of a blanket too short. A "top-down" approach, on the other hand, requires first of all the identification of the top of the pyramid: an over-party and consequently strategic vision of the role that Italy is to be given. a very personal and somewhat utopian opinion Italy by historical vocation can only aspire to be a hegemonic power on the Mediterranean and, considering the countries, peoples and interests that gravitate in the Mare Nostrum area, this would be enough to guarantee security and well-being in the homeland as well as not little importance in the global chessboard. Furthermore, in this particular historical moment the situation around the Mediterranean is very fluid, fragmented and dynamic, therefore a strong, determined and well-equipped actor could benefit greatly (as France has understood). Given this apex of the pyramid, I would move on to a more "technical" consideration: the only defense sector in which Italy can still semi-autonomously assert itself at good levels is the Navy (for production and industrial capacity, technology developed and adopted, competence and efficiency of personnel as well as economic return on investments and related activities generated). Furthermore, it is the most probable instrument of interdiction and projection of force (excluding the need to arrest Russian tank divisions in the Veneto / Friuli plains) and versatile, including the use of the related infantry, aviation and missile equipment. Therefore, if I had to pull the deck from a flap, I would focus on a modernization, development and integration project of the Navy as the fulcrum of the defense system, with an eye to multifunctional amphibious assault ships that offer, among other things, the possibility of using fighters. multirole F-35 (some advantages undeniably bring it: Tornadoes to bomb in Syria I would not send any except to reduce the costs of disposal).

Drive out the money!

1 Economic treatment, ie more adequate salaries and remuneration for off-site training activities
2 Means and materials. Few available means and, in addition, inefficient and obsolete, and materials such as above all individual armaments, not sufficient, materials, such as uniforms and for training 

It is urgent to inform the millions of non-experts ...

Of urgent and concrete problems our FF.AA. they have an infinite number of them and I don't think they are ignored by the experts, then the mass is ignored in this matter regardless and the FF.AA interests him very little, we can also have the most powerful and best forces in the world, but since we have no political class able to protect Italian interests abroad (not even in front of the house) and even less to do international politics, to send 4 planes to take pictures, some naval units to do anti-piracy or pick up little soldiers in the sea some soldier in front of the cathedral or to put out fires and cover the holes on the road, well for all this we don't need so many things.

Enough with the campaigns like progress advertising (do you have ears?

I state that I am not a member of the armed forces, and that my point of view is circumstantial, and I believe that this argument should be asked of those who work in uniform for obvious reasons.

The problem of the armed forces I summarize it in three pills:

  1. The economic: Making a metaphor for the defense budget and for that of church offerings, if we get a few more coins in the portfolio we exploit it, especially if the NATO parish priest looks at us. But in our case under the strong voices of: "Assistance", "Work", "Pensions" etc ... rarely do we happen to have some extra coins.

  2. The role: The soldier should be the one who trains himself for the defense of the nation, but for a couple of years the concept has apparently changed, and it has become a whole thing where he goes to fill the holes where there is need as in the forces order and immediate labor. All this is useful for citizenship but limits the true path of the soldier.

  3. Stereotypes: "Whoever is a soldier loves war" in big lines and what a citizen thinks that he is not in contact with the armed forces. It seems that around it there is a wall of fears of misunderstandings and myths perhaps due to a culture that wants to refuse to recognize itself in a hierarchical and limiting structure. Thus leading to the removal of the population and especially the young. Dear armed forces, going to trade fairs and progress advertising do not work, unless there is a basis of healthy patriotism already in schools and especially by parents.

Culture, cuts and collaborations: how we are back ...

1) Require a cultural reversal that uniquely defines the nature and purposes of the FFAA. The military are not Red Cross nurses or Africans, nor do they have to show "goodwill" aptitudes to be accepted by that "community state" which they are called - by law - to defend;

2) Cease the custom according to which Defense is the first to suffer financial cuts or to become ATMs in the availability of other Ministries or needs;

3) Inaugurating a season of industrial joint ventures with those countries (see Israel) which, although lacking important economic and financial assets, still manage to design and put into operation operational systems of the state of the art and / or already -proven (see Merkava) in scenarios potentially requiring the Italian presence.

A reader with the gift of synthesis. And yet intelligent!

1. Immediate adhesion to the Tempest program, to protect our aerospace know-how. 
2. Reorganization and updating of the armored park which is in conditions at the limit of operations. 
3. A reinforcement of the sub line would be needed for the MM.

Another synthetic and witty reader!

Hello, the priorities that I believe necessary for the armed forces (the main ones of course) are the certainty of investments, the exercise and the lowering of the average age. In particular, I believe that the army at this time is more suffering. Not forgetting f35, cam. er etc.

This you have to read it!

First of all, for me it would be necessary to rationalize the departments: to create the so-called "brigade barracks", which would allow great savings in personnel, eliminating or reducing the CCS. Furthermore, military villages could be created around these installations: this would improve the economic conditions of the military without raising their salaries: tax-free areas, state-owned housing and jobs for staff members. Then it would be necessary to reform the enlistments and the career: the newly enlisted staff should have longer contracts, the maximum firm should not exceed 20 years for the troop, with re-employment in the public administration and graduation steps no longer linked to seniority. Finally, a DARPA would be needed, if not Italian, at least European.

Military or serfs?

1 missed payments of several hours of overtime, and consequent difficulties of consuming compensatory recovery within time limits, difficulties often created not only by work commitments but by the same commanders who employ us (a dog that bites its tail)! 

2 high stress from many colleagues (and many really difficult to identify) due to continuous operational and non-operational commitments (I remember that those who work at the 1 max 2 department for years, non-commissioned officers and graduates for decades!) 

3 has repeatedly denoted the inadequacy of the logistic machine in many activities to guarantee the best possible wellbeing for the staff ... 

Thought and action

My thoughts:

  1. The state must make investments on everything that is weapon systems

  2. naja and any form of prefixed useless and illusion for those who want to be part of it

  3. waste spending most of your budget on salaries and maintaining facilities (barracks).

My solution to give an innovation:

  1. professional military schools so young people are created with a bit of a backbone if there is a place like a professional if not civil with a normal job already from the 16 years stage to the departments

  2. having a small effective force of sky and sea projection remains to be created as in other reservist and national guard countries 

In conclusion: we need a serious rejuvenation, a robust modernization and a lot of meritocracy

Absolute priority: Generational change, serious reorganization of careers and officers, therefore a managerial framework, which are closer to reality both as a professional preparation and on a human level ... in practice to understand each other less lackeys. Modernization of all means, armaments, materials. More Discipline in all levels and body spirit. 

1 The Catholic media say it and the writer finds it hard to believe it: http://www.lanuovabq.it/it/trenta-un-ministro-inadeguato-per-la-difesa