President Meloni at COVI: Credibility is Our Strength

Rome, December 22, 2025 – Visit to the Joint Operational Command (COVI) for Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, who this morning reached the joint command structure in Rome and participated in a video conference to extend Christmas greetings to the Italian military contingents engaged in international operations.

In front of the mosaic of connections with the missions, Meloni gave her speech both an institutional and personal touch, speaking about the impact these meetings have on those who govern: "For me, coming to the Joint Operational Command is always an emotion... it is also an opportunity that provides a particular awareness," she said, describing "this puzzle of connected images" as the representation of the overall effort that Italy puts in place "thanks to each" of the military to ensure security and defense even on a global scale.

The Strength of the Armies as the Basis of Peace

The most politically significant moment came when the Prime Minister directly linked the idea of peace to military credibility. "It is the strength of the armies and their credibility that is the most effective tool to fight wars. Dialogue, diplomacy, good intentions certainly help but must rest on solid foundations," she stated during the visit.

In the same vein, Meloni insisted that there is no "cultural" opposition between defense and peace: according to reports, she reminded that "only a credible military force deters war" and recalled the principle of “Si vis pacem, para bellum” understood as pragmatism and deterrence, not as bellicism.

A Signal to the Military and the Public

The chosen format – Christmas greetings to those who will spend the holidays away from home – gave the message a national dimension: thanking the military also became a way to speak to Italians about what "security" concretely means. In the meeting reports, Meloni emphasized the sacrifice and professionalism of those operating abroad and linked the goal of peace to the solidity of those "foundations" that, according to her, the military build with competence and courage.

During the visit, the Prime Minister also presented a Tricolor flag to the Commander of COVI Gen. Iannucci, a symbolic gesture that recalls national unity and institutional recognition of the role of the Armed Forces.

Why COVI is Central (Also for Foreign Policy)

The choice of location is not accidental: the Joint Operational Command is the hub through which planning and direction of operations, as well as joint and multinational exercises, pass. In regulatory terms, COVI is assigned functions of planning and directing operations and exercises, ensuring coordination between components.
It is presented as a staff body of the Chief of Defense Staff to plan, coordinate, and direct operational activities nationally and internationally.

And it is precisely here that Meloni's speech intertwines with foreign policy: the Prime Minister used the framework of greetings to the contingents to reaffirm a vision in which the Armed Forces are not just "border defense," but a lever of international credibility. In her reasoning, diplomacy truly works when it can rely on solid tools: operational capabilities, readiness, reliability in alliances, presence in theaters where stability and strategic interests are at stake.

Peace as a Goal, Diplomacy as a Method, Credible Force as a Condition

In an international context marked by crises and instability, the message coming from COVI is that Italy – to be heard at diplomatic tables and influence foreign dossiers – needs to be perceived as a partner capable not only of proposing mediations but also of supporting commitments. The presence of Italian contingents abroad, highlighted at the center of the intervention, thus becomes the litmus test of the country's international posture: a way to protect security, interests, and citizens, but also to build trust with allies and interlocutors.

The political synthesis of the day lies in this equation: peace as a goal, diplomacy as a method, credible force as a condition. A line that Meloni delivered to the military – and, through them, to the public – with the evident intent of establishing a point: for Italy, Defense is not a separate issue from foreign policy, but one of its foundations.