Military Reservists: Proposed law for the creation of an auxiliary reserve

The bill by the chairman of the Chamber of Deputies Defence Committee, Leghist Nino Minardo, presented in February 2024 and which envisages establishing, within the Armed Forces, a pool of 10,000 military personnel to be allocated as auxiliary reserve of the State, is causing discussion. The bill, according to Minardo himself yesterday, will begin its committee process on 8 July.

It stipulates that these reservists are former military personnel, who have left the service without demerit, who serve on a voluntary basis for five years from their discharge, which can be extended through subsequent renewals. The auxiliary reserve can be mobilised by the government either in times of war or serious international crisis or, in any case,' reads the introduction to the bill, 'in situations of serious crisis likely to affect the security of the State, or for the defence of national borders, or in the event of a declaration of a state of emergency of national importance by the Council of Ministers, also in cooperation with the civil and military police forces, or for complementary, logistical and civil-military cooperation activities. The text provides that the decision to mobilise the auxiliary reserve must be promptly communicated to the Houses of Parliament, which will authorise or reject it within forty-eight hours of its submission. The text, Minardo explained, could be examined in conjunction with one from the PD in the first form of Stefano Graziano and always concerning possible reservists.

But the Dem deputy points out that his pdl has nothing to do with the use of these figures in the event of war (the text, in fact, limits the scope to 'health and socio-assistance rescue operations'). 'It is completely false,' Graziano emphasises, 'that the PDD is in favour of the establishment of a "military reserve" in the terms proposed by the majority'. The bill presented a year and a half ago, he points out, 'does not have any military set-up, nor does it envisage any operational functions in the war. On the contrary, it is a project designed to enhance and support the logistical and welfare activities of the Red Cross'. 'It is clear,' Graziano emphasises, 'that our bill is profoundly different from the one presented by the chairman of the Chamber's Defence Commission, Nino Minardo. Any attempt to confuse the plans or to attribute intentions that do not belong to us is instrumental and unacceptable'.

Also going on the attack from the opposition is Angelo Bonelli of Avs. 'The bill "to establish a military reserve of 10,000 reservists" is the umpteenth confirmation of the Melonian right's desire to transform Italy into a militarised country, which extends military culture even to civil society. An ideological project, which looks to Austria as a model, but completely ignores the real emergencies of our country'.