Italian Defense: Everything Fine in the Last 20 Years? Today Criticism Targets Those Finally Reforming

We have carefully read the article published by the authoritative site Infodifesa on the “entrenched bureaucracy” of the Italian Armed Forces. It is a topic that deserves reflection, as it concerns the heart of our defense tool and its ability to face the challenges of an increasingly complex world.

However, it is at least surprising that, after decades of silence on these issues, such an attack comes right now, at a time when, in the Italian Army and also in the Carabinieri Corps, both mentioned in the article, a true structural revolution is underway.

Focusing on the Italian Army, which is particularly dear to us for the role it plays as a defensive tool of the Nation and which probably, more than others, needs a change in this area, we can state without fear of contradiction that reforming an institution with almost 100,000 personnel is not a desk exercise. Problems exist, no one denies it. We can and must do better, but transforming mindsets, procedures, and systems requires time, courage, and a strategic vision.

This very courage – which has been lacking for decades – we are finally seeing today. The Minister of Defense Guido Crosetto, the Chief of Defense Staff Gen. C.A. Luciano Portolano, and the Chief of Army Staff Gen. C.A. Carmine Masiello have embarked on a path aimed at truly modernizing the Armed Force. It is a long and complex process, which is not resolved in “two days” nor with slogans.

It is legitimate and even useful to highlight critical issues. But we ask ourselves: was everything fine in the last 20 years? Why today, precisely when those leading the Defense are showing the rare willingness to truly change, is there a choice to target those trying to break bureaucratic chains?

The so-called “double work” with paper records and digital systems in parallel, described in the cited article, is by no means an anomaly unique to the Armed Forces, nor a “Kafkaesque dance.” It is a necessary technical phase in any complex technological transition, adopted by any large organization – public or private – transitioning from traditional procedures to computerized systems. Pairing paper with digital for a period serves to ensure operational continuity, allow personnel to become familiar with new tools, and, above all, verify the system's reliability before the final dismissal of traditional records. Dismissing this phase as inefficiency means not understanding the delicacy of a modernization process that, if not conducted with caution, could compromise the security and functionality of the entire structure.

The email address “menoburocrazia@esercito.difesa.it”, desired by the Chief of Army Staff, already represents a concrete step forward and, until a few years ago, was unthinkable. Dismissing it as a “container of good ideas destined never to see the light” means speaking from supposition, not evidence. It is easy to criticize from the outside, but it must be recognized that similar tools, aimed at listening to reports from personnel and gathering streamlining proposals, are the demonstration of a cultural and structural change that must be encouraged and consolidated.

Claiming that “when a commander risks paying out of pocket, in economic terms, career, and prestige, miraculously everything becomes possible” is a statement without head or tail if applied, we repeat, if applied, to the current Chief of Army Staff. General C.A. Carmine Masiello is nearing the end of his mandate and, for reasons of age and career, will not have other military assignments after this. He has nothing to fear or gain in terms of advancements or prestige: his career has already been crowned with results and recognitions that speak for themselves. Attributing to him a presumed fear of “breaking with traditions” or “cutting procedures” is not only ungenerous but completely disconnected from reality. Masiello is operating with a courage that few have had in recent decades.

In the Italian Army, work has been ongoing for over a year now, incessantly and without interruption, to build a structure capable of concretely contributing to NATO plans, eliminating redundancies, slow decision-making chains, and schemes now outdated by current scenarios.

Waiting for concrete results requires patience. The direction taken is the right one, and perhaps for the first time in a long time, it can be said with knowledge of the facts. We agree that the true power of an Armed Force is not measured only in budgets and armaments, but also in the ability to evolve and adapt. It is a path that has begun and must be supported – not hindered – with honest analysis and constructive proposals.