Italian troops in Saudi Arabia: the word ‘mission’ on the Ministry of Defence’s website sparks pressure from the opposition. Crosetto: ‘If anyone has made a mistake, they will pay’
The website had used the term ‘mission’ in reference to the presence of Italian military personnel in Saudi Arabia, even though the minister had repeatedly made it clear that this was a ‘redeployment’
Key points
An error on the Ministry of Defence’s website has fuelled the political row between the Government and the opposition over the presence of around 500 Italian military personnel in Saudi Arabia. On Thursday 8 October, Defence Minister Guido Crosetto decided to appear at hearing before the Foreign Affairs and Defence Committees of the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate, after opposition parties (in particular the PD, M5S and AVS) had asked him to come and report to Parliament on this matter, and on the events of 18 September, when at the Ta’if base an Italian fighter jet, an Eurofighter Typhoon, was struck by a Houthi drone.
The error: ‘mission’ instead of ‘redeployment’
In essence, the website had used the term ‘mission’ in reference to the presence of Italian military personnel in Saudi Arabia, whilst the minister had repeatedly made it clear that this was a ‘redeployment’. The difference lies in the fact that, in the former case, parliamentary involvement is a politically necessary step, whilst in the latter, this step may be useful but is not mandatory.
Crosetto: ‘If anyone made a mistake regarding Saudi Arabia on the Defence website, they will pay’
Crosetto announced measures in response to the error found on the website. “The government and Parliament operate on the basis of formal documents; what counts are the documents that the Ministry has sent to and received from Parliament – the website does not matter,” he explained to MPs and senators. ‘You are absolutely right about the website, and as soon as I leave this chamber I will ask why this is written on the website and who is responsible.’ ‘I will defend Parliament in this matter as soon as I leave,’ he assured them.
In military jargon – according to defence sources – the term ‘mission’ refers to the operational task assigned and the specific defence actions carried out by units as part of an operation already underway; it does not necessarily refer to a new mandate or the launch of a new operation. The word is also commonly used as a synonym for ‘operation’.
