Civil, religious, military authorities, kind guests, I extend greetings from the Italian Army to all.
Our heartfelt thanks for joining us today to commemorate, in one of the most evocative monumental squares in Italy and the world, Piazza San Marco, the 40th anniversary of the recognition of the Lagunari specialty.
My reverent homage to the war flag of the regiment, to the banner of the city of Venice, decorated with the Gold Medal for Military Valour, to the banner of the city of Mira, and to the banners of the Armed Forces Associations, symbols of the heritage of sacrifice offered to make Italy free, united and democratic.
Our first thoughts go to all those who died in the performance of duty, and to our wounded in service and on leave. Their example of willingness to carry out the task, whatever the price required, must be an incentive for us and for future generations.
To the captain's family Massimo Ficuciello, of the captain Riccardo Bucci, of the first corporal major Matteo Vanzan, I extend the embrace of the Army family.
I greet and thank the Lagunari Association for the irreplaceable, precious and tireless work of promoting the military values of our society.
Lagunari, today is your party.
First of all, it is an opportunity, of which I feel privileged, to be able to express to you, on behalf of the entire Army, my esteem and pride for the unique and transversal capabilities that you have demonstrated over time. In the many interventions to support civil society and in various crisis theaters around the world, always keeping the glorious Tricolor high with the cry of San Marco! And faithful to the traditions of will and courage, which find their foundation in the ancient and recent history of the Lagunari.
An ancient history, of indissoluble ties with the homeland and with our ideals, which dates back to the time of the Fourth Crusade, when the Doge Enrico Dandolo established a regiment of ten companies, used in the two subsequent captures of Byzantium, in 1203 and 1204.
It was these troops, definitively organized in 1550 as Fanti da Mar, who distinguished themselves in multiple episodes of valor, to defend the role of Venice in the Adriatic and Mediterranean, up to the current configuration, starting from 1992, with the reconstitution of the Lagunari Serenissima regiment.
From its origins therefore, not an essentially garrison force, but projected towards overseas expeditions, or as they say in more modern terms, expetidionary. A characteristic that places the Lagooners among the most precious units of the Army, today the fulcrum of the land component of the force projected from the sea.
It would be an understatement to say that I'm here to say how good you are. We all know this, and you know it too.
I have come here to reflect with you, with my Lagoonari, on the times we are living in, on the needs, and on our responsibilities, which are destined to increase.
These are not the times we lived in until recently, they are no longer the times of peace support operations.
Just open a newspaper, listen to the news, and you hear about war.
It's a word we never want to say, but that's what it is, and that's what we have to deal with. And we, soldiers, must do it above all.
While politics and diplomacy do their work busily, we must commit ourselves. We must commit ourselves to being ready, in a serious and conscientious manner, as we have always done. Indeed, more, hoping to never have to take action. It seems easy, but it's not. It is difficult and complex, not only because on the geostrategic scenario old and new powers operate to design spheres of influence. But because they do it by exploiting an incessant technological wave, which has brought about and is bringing about a true military revolution, and a paradigm shift in conceiving and managing conflicts.
The reality of the facts, I am referring mainly to the Ukrainian scenario, speaks to us again of mechanized units, armored units, minefields, rolls of barbed wire, trenches. All things that we thought were relegated to the history books, to the First World War.
And alongside this, intelligent systems, new scenarios, cyber, space, the electromagnetic spectrum.
There is therefore a fusion between the ancient, or what we thought was ancient, and the more modern. And we must prepare for this.
For us, for an army, which for a long time was not considered a technological force, this impact is disruptive. And I want us all to be aware of what we are experiencing.
We have to equip ourselves. And we need to do it soon.
I have already said it: cyber, space, disinformation, exploited to guide public opinions, but also the morale of the fighters. The human mind, which is now elevated to a battlefield.
We must therefore review the army, from different aspects.
We are called, we are all called, to make strategic and rapid choices, and to change our approach.
We must adapt to the present because it is the most pressing one, while we transform ourselves for the future, with the awareness that adapting to the needs that the current geostrategic scenario imposes is much more complicated than thinking about how to face the challenges of opportunities of the future.
There is a need for a cultural change of pace, I am asking the entire Army for it.
No more positional income. Enough good intentions. We need facts. Facts not words.
We need results. And they are needed quickly. Because we, I remind you in case you missed it, we are the Army, and in case of crisis, as has always been the case in our country's past, our fellow citizens will look to us. So everyone, everyone must get involved and must be aware of what we are experiencing. Everyone must be the creators of new, continuous, creative solutions and alternatives, starting from the commitment to containing and overcoming the thick layer of bureaucracy, what we call the sixth domain, which prevents us from going at the speed we have.
Since yesterday, I'm announcing it to you today, you are the first to hear it, an email address is active in my office at the address menoburocracy@aiuto.difesa.it .
Anyone, from the last volunteer who just joined, can write to this box, and send me ideas to reduce the bureaucracy that slows down the growth of the army. We need the ability to renew ourselves, and as I have said in other interventions, and I repeat, we need commitment and collective effort, as the Army is not mine, the Army belongs to all of us, to all of us soldiers, to all of us Italians.
It is no surprise, I repeat, what the cornerstones of my mandate are: technology, training, values. And what a point, and I asked to make it a lot, on the ideas of young people, who I believe are naturally capable of intercepting the very rapid changes and evolutions of our society. From young people, I expect a great contribution, while from the older ones in the profession, like the person speaking to you, the ability to valorise these ideas on the basis of experience, choosing the best ones, those which can put us in a position to earn a little ground every week, without looking into the distant future, in order to quickly reduce the differences with any potential opponent.
I return to the three axes, I summarized the importance of technology: always consider it a means, never an end, knowing full well that the army is either technological or it is not. And the Italian Army will be.
Physical preparation, discipline, training. They are ancestral to the life choice of those who embrace the military mission. They are a soldier's first duty.
I say it, I repeat it to you too, they are the best insurance policy for every soldier, for ourselves and for those at our side: my life depends on him, and his depends on me. We have to be trained. Training means we will always have done everything we can do to be ready.
And I come to the values, which are the references of our daily actions. They are the common thread of the history of an army, they are the contract that we sign in front of the Tricolor when we take our oath of loyalty, taking on the responsibility of offering our duty, without exceptions, hesitations and second thoughts.
Dear Lagunari, values are our true strength, they are our lifeline, they keep us standing and keep us united when every other reference can falter. Regarding values, and please pay attention to what I say, we must not accept any attack or inflection. Because we, as I told you, in times of crisis are asked to resist, because we are a cornerstone of the Republic. And especially in this time of change, when we are trying to build a new army, suited to these times, values are the foundation on which we build this edifice. Without a foundation, the building will collapse.
We therefore have a period of great commitment ahead of us, with scenarios that become increasingly competitive.
I have asked, and ask, commanders at all levels to set higher standards, and to be ready to accept anyone's mistake. Let's change the paradigm, let's change our culture. The mistake is part of a growth path, if it is the result of desire to do and initiative. But the error must be combated with the utmost severity if it is the result of bad faith, negligence, mediocrity, or even worse, disclaimer.
I have asked and ask my commanders to favor a reformist organizational atmosphere, in which flexibility, critical and divergent thinking, reasoning, intuition and above all pragmatism are stimulated.
I asked and ask my commanders for the courage to decide, the ability to execute, to get back up, to see the opportunities and advantages when others only see critical issues.
I asked and ask my commanders to take care of our soldiers and their families, without ever leaving anyone behind.
I asked and ask my commanders to train prepared and aware soldiers, because perhaps this escapes someone's notice, that in the woods we get humidity, that the rain and the darkness are an opportunity for us, that we sleep on the ground if there is any It's a need, that you don't sleep if you can't, that you eat what's available when you can. It's better to suffer in training, believe me. Afterwards, it's much worse.
And this is because I am certain that the value of an army is the value of its soldier, of his desire to be part of a team and a large family.
I have asked a lot and I ask a lot from my commanders. And to you Lagooners instead, to you who wear the green beret, like the color of your beloved Venice lagoon, symbol of brotherhood and esprit de corps, to you, I ask you to break like the rock and overwhelm like the wave , overwhelm all the challenges that the future holds for us, and there are many.
I renew the appreciation of the entire Army and express to all of you and your families the most fervent wishes for ever greater successes and fortunes.
Long live San Marco! Long live the Lagooners! Long live the Italian Army! Long live Italy!
(transcription by Lieta Zanatta)