Cavo Dragone: 'War is in our homes, now we must defend our children'

«War has entered our homes». Clear, direct words that leave little room for interpretation. They were spoken by Admiral Giuseppe Cavo Dragone, Chairman of the NATO Military Committee, former Commander of COFS, in a speech delivered at the Senate three months after taking office. An intervention that did not go unnoticed, for its decisive tone and the urgency of the message: the security of Europe is no longer an abstract issue, but a concrete and shared responsibility.

Cavo Dragone, at the helm of the Atlantic Alliance's military summit, spoke as a man of experience and a privileged witness to changing strategic balances. His warning is clear: «We can no longer think that someone else can do it for us. The Atlantic Alliance is our true Shield». And in recalling that in 75 years not a single inch of NATO territory has been lost, he strongly reaffirmed the value of cohesion among allies.

No US disengagement, but Europe must do more

The speech also had the merit of dispelling a common misconception often stirred in political debate: the alleged disengagement of the United States. «I can assure you – said the admiral – that there is no trace of disengagement in NATO's planning». On the contrary, he recalled how the USA was the only one to activate Article 5 of the Atlantic Treaty after September 11, involving all allies in the global fight against terrorism.

But the American request for greater European commitment remains on the table. And, according to Cavo Dragone, it is more than legitimate: the United States spends about 15% of its military budget on Europe's security. Now it's up to the Old Continent to bridge the gap.

The axis of threats and the illusion of distance

The war in Ukraine, he explained, has made it clear the need to prepare for a scenario of symmetrical conventional warfare. And it has awakened in Europeans the perception of a direct threat: «The fear of being attacked and unable to defend oneself has reached very high levels, especially in Eastern countries». A feeling that has burst into daily life, manifesting in the need – once unthinkable – to talk about security even in schools, families, and the media.

In this scenario, the “block” of autocracies – Russia, China, North Korea, and Iran – is not a think tank theory, but a “frighteningly looming” reality, as also confirmed by the NATO Secretary General during a visit to Japan. And the confrontation is played out not only on the military level but also on the economic and technological one. The BRICS countries, led by China, are building an alternative financial system to the Western one. «The threat extends to the heart of our stability».

Multilateralism is not dead, but it needs to be revived

One of the most significant parts of the speech concerns the role of multilateralism, often considered dead. Cavo Dragone does not deny the crisis of instruments like the United Nations, cornered by the Ukrainian conflict. But he also sees signs of vitality: there is talk of a UN peacekeeping force, a European defense, of “willing countries” ready to support peace.

«It took two world wars to give birth to the United Nations – he recalled – it would be unforgivable to underestimate these instruments in an era so poor in innovative solutions». The way out of war still passes through multilateral diplomacy, which must adapt to a world where balances are rapidly and chaotically evolving.

Cavo Dragone's final appeal: let us not let our children pay the price

Cavo Dragone's concluding message is not a military bulletin, but a civil appeal. Security – he explained – is not an expense to be postponed, but a moral duty towards future generations. «If we do not think about security today, the first to pay the price will be our children».

And while the pendulum of History swings between regression and hope, between the “dynamic immobility” of the Leopard and the high vision of De Gasperi, the admiral recalls the words of President Eisenhower: «Behind the clouds of war, there is humanity hanging on a cross of iron». It is up to Europe – and each of us – to decide whether to remain spectators or become responsible actors in a world that no longer allows indifference.