Defence: here is the reform – 5,000 more troops over the next two years
The milestones set out in the bill to strengthen the armed forces: 40,000 active personnel by 2033
by Andrea Carli
Key points
- The roadmap: 5,000 more soldiers over the next two years
- Review of the deployment of civilian staff at the Ministry of Defence
An additional 5,000 soldiers over the next two years and 40,000 by 2033. This is what is envisaged in the defence reform proposed by Guido Crosetto. The details are set out in the draft bill entitled ‘Provisions for the strengthening and adaptation of national defence capabilities’. The measure is expected to be discussed by the Council of Ministers on Tuesday 16 June.
The context in which this process is taking place is that of the government’s mandate to review the military structure (Article 4). Among the elements that will shape the new structure of the armed forces, therefore, is not only the use of the reserve (in its three forms: operational mobilisation, specialist voluntary and territorial).
The target: an additional 40,000 active-duty personnel by 2033
‘The Government,’ the text of the bill states, ‘is authorised to adopt, within twelve months of the date of entry into force of this Act, one or more legislative decrees for the reform of the national armed forces, as governed by the Code of Military Law (Legislative Decree 66/2010)’.
All this in accordance with certain guiding principles and criteria. These include the ‘provision, by 31 December 2033, for a gradual increase in the total strength not exceeding 40,000 personnel of theItalian Army, the Navy (excluding the Port Authority Corps), the Air Force and the Unified Military Health Corps on permanent and fixed-term service, in order to ensure the necessary levels of operational capability and the full integration of the military into international contexts, and with a view to a common European defence policy, for the fulfilment of the institutional tasks of the Armed Forces’.
The roadmap: 5,000 more soldiers over the next two years
Furthermore, again in accordance with the provisions of the draft law, ‘the increase, not exceeding 40,000 personnel, is determined, on the basis of available resources and actual recruitment capacity, annually, in the Budget Act, up to a limit of 5,071 personnel for the year 2028, 5,321 personnel for the year 2029, 7,001 personnel for the year 2030, 7,444 personnel for the year 2031, 7,500 personnel for the year 2032 and 7,663 personnel for the year 2033’.
