"For the Red Sea crisis, the technological advantage in weapons must be maintained".

On the table of the seven bigwigs who are meeting in these hours for the G7 in Puglia lands an issue that formally falls within the sphere of defence, but which has repercussions on the economic level: the safety of commercial navigation in the Red Sea, endangered by the attacks of the Houthi rebels, financed by Iran. Through the Suez Canal passes 12% of global trade flows, 21% of the oil processed that reaches Europe, and 40% of Italy's maritime trade. On 19 February, the EU deployed Eunavfor Aspides, a defensive maritime security operation.

"To date," clarified the Chief of Defence Staff Giuseppe Cavo Dragone , speaking in a video interview to take stock of Italy's role in the operation, "there are about 200 merchant ships that have been escorted, 88 by our Navy, seven drones shot down and there has been no attempt to board them by the Houthi militias. However, the guard should not be lowered. 'I believe that the arsenal put in place is sufficient,' Cavo Dragone continued, 'a higher level of technological advancement than the other side, and we must maintain this technological advantage. Attention must be kept high so that there is no fading in the perception of the seriousness of the problem over time, because we are also talking about our personal safety'.

If this is the scenario, one big unknown remains: the escalation in the clash between Israel on one side and Iran on the other could once again destabilise Lebanon. In fact, the Islamic Republic is behind Hezbollah, and Tehran is also financing Yemen's rebels. A chain mechanism with unpredictable geopolitical effects is emerging. "That Iran and Russia are in the shadows, manoeuvring this activity is a fact. It is an excellent distraction from the war in Ukraine because we have also repolarised our attention in this theatre, thus benefiting Russia. I believe,' Cavo Dragone continued, 'that in any case we should take a step back and be a little more honest with ourselves. In the sense that it will always remain an 'endemic evil Bab el-Mandeb', even if there is a decrease in Houthi activity, until we resolve the Middle East problem in a structured and courageous manner. Which I think has probably not been done so far'.

But is the Aspides mission a first test case in the direction of an EU defence policy and, probably more in perspective, a European army? "Certainly,' replied the admiral. More than as a test-bed, I would interpret it as an effective demonstration of the role that Europe plays and must play in guaranteeing international security'. From 2025 Cavo Dragone will serve as Chairman of the NATO Military Committee. "European defence, which is developing right now, should be seen as the European pillar of the Atlantic Alliance. There must be no duplication. Nato is the only military alliance and the only shield we have today to defend our democracy, our freedom'.