Defense Minister Guido Crosetto concluded a mission on NATO's Eastern Flank that took him to Bulgaria, Poland, Lithuania and Latvia, meeting with their respective Defense heads and above all the Italian military deployed in the Alliance's arrangements.

A journey that goes beyond the traditional institutional greeting to contingents.

In the various stages Crosetto has indeed outlined with increasing clarity a position: strengthen NATO's deterrence, accelerate the integration of European military capabilities and begin to think about continental-scale European defense, capable of involving countries that do not belong to the European Union.

On the Eastern Flank over 2,000 Italian military personnel are currently engaged, according to what the Minister himself declared during the visit to Poland.

Bulgaria: "Be ready for the worst so the worst doesn't happen"

The mission began in Bulgaria, where Crosetto met Defense Minister Dimitar Stoyanov and subsequently the Italian military deployed at Novo Selo Training Area as part of NATO Forward Land Forces.

Italy plays a particularly responsible role in the deployment: it leads the Multinational Battle Group deployed in the country.

In the bilateral discussion, the security of the Black Sea, the situation in the Western Balkans, hybrid and cognitive warfare and the protection of critical infrastructure, including energy, communications and underwater infrastructure, were addressed.

Speaking to Italian military personnel, Crosetto summed up the principle underlying deterrence with a particularly sharp phrase:

"Our task is to be ready for the worst so the worst doesn't happen".

For the Minister, military credibility does not derive solely from capabilities, but from preparation, operational efficiency and the ability to operate together with Allies.

A concept accompanied by another reminder: it is no longer possible to prepare for future scenarios using the patterns of the past.

Poland: over 2,000 Italians on the Eastern Flank

Second stop, Warsaw, where Crosetto met Polish Defense Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz and laid a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.

The discussion focused mainly on the war in Ukraine and the acceleration of European defense programs.

Crosetto stressed that:

"Defending Poland means defending Italy and, more generally, defending Europe means defending each of our Nations".

Hence the proposal for a European defense that does not remain confined to the 27 States of the European Union, but assumes a continental dimension and is complementary to NATO.

Among the capabilities indicated by the Minister as priorities are integrated air defense, space, artificial intelligence, unmanned and robotic systems, countering hybrid threats and military mobility.

The industrial sector also enters directly into this process: Italy and Poland intend to deepen cooperation possibilities from helicopters to F-35, up to the strategic infrastructure necessary for the Alliance.

Lithuania: Italian Eurofighters shoot down a drone

The visit took on a particular operational significance with the subsequent stop in Lithuania.

At the Šiauliai base, Crosetto met with the personnel of the Air Task Force "Baltic Thunder III", engaged in NATO Baltic Air Policing.

The Italian mission began on July 31 and sees the Eurofighter F-2000s contribute to the surveillance and defense of the airspace of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. Already on August 3, the Italian fighters had scrambled to intercept two Russian military aircraft flying over the Baltic Sea in international airspace.

But during this visit, Crosetto was able to thank the crews for an intervention that was much more concrete.

According to the Minister's statement, two Italian fighters shot down a drone that had violated Lithuanian airspace.

Lithuanian Defense Minister Robertas Kaunas personally accompanied Crosetto in meeting with Italian personnel, thanking Italy for the intervention.

"What you did yesterday is proof of that," Crosetto said, addressing the Italian military, referring to the need to be ready to intervene with means and professionalism to defend allied airspace.

"Without Armed Forces, a Nation does not fully defend its freedom"

At Šiauliai, Crosetto addressed the military with one of the most significant passages of the entire mission.

He recalled that men and women of the Italian Armed Forces operate thousands of kilometers from home, training together with the Allies "as if they were a single contingent".

The central concept is that of collective defense: the border to be protected does not belong solely to Lithuania, Latvia, or Poland, but to the entire Alliance.

Crosetto then added:

"Without Armed Forces, a Nation is not fully capable of defending its freedom, its security, and its future".

Words accompanied by a personal commitment to the Defense personnel:

"You have sworn to serve the Country and I feel the duty to serve you".

Latvia: the Italian Army at Ādaži

Final stop, Latvia, at the Ādaži military base, where Italian Army personnel are deployed as part of the Baltic Guardian operation.

The Italian presence in the country has a long history within the NATO enhanced Forward Presence framework, with contingents integrated into the Alliance's multinational forces.

Crosetto also met with Latvian Defense Minister Raivis Melnis, from whom he received the Honor Badge of the Latvian Defense Minister, awarded for the Italian contribution to the development of national defense and cooperation between the two countries.

Two Italian military pilots were also awarded for a previous intervention against a drone that had violated Latvian airspace.

The framework outlined by the Minister now includes threats that can no longer be considered separately: air defense, border protection, anti-drone systems, cyber and critical infrastructure protection become components of the same defensive architecture.

The proposal: European defense beyond the European Union

This is probably the most important political-strategic content to emerge from the visit.

Crosetto repeated at multiple stops the idea of building European defense in its continental dimension, going beyond the institutional boundaries of the European Union.

Not, therefore, only the 27 member states.

The Minister envisions a structure capable of involving European nations that share its objectives and principles, while maintaining NATO as the cornerstone of collective defense.

The proposal is not presented as an alternative to the Atlantic Alliance, but as a strengthening of its European pillar.

In Latvia, Crosetto went even further, explicitly indicating also Ukraine, once peace is reached, among the countries that should be involved in this future continental architecture.

The stated objective is to increase deterrence capacity:

«The more united we are, the stronger our deterrence capacity becomes, we distance the risk of war and strengthen NATO's European pillar».

«Why is the presence of Italian military personnel requested?»

In the meeting with the Italian contingent in Latvia, Crosetto dedicated an important part of his speech to the image of the Italian Armed Forces in international missions.

«Have you ever wondered why, in so many parts of the world, the presence of our military is requested?», he asked.

The Minister's answer was:

«Because the Italian uniform is not perceived as a threat, but as help, protection and defense».

According to Crosetto, this ability to combine military strength, attention to people and trust-building constitutes an asset accumulated by the Italian Armed Forces through decades of missions.

An asset that, in the Minister's words, also produces a political and diplomatic result: it contributes to Italy's international credibility.

But the reputation built in the past, Crosetto warned, is not sufficient.

The Armed Forces must continue to evolve, preparing themselves not for today's threats but for tomorrow's, continuously updating training, capabilities, technologies and tools.

The common thread of the mission

Bulgaria, Poland, Lithuania and Latvia represent different scenarios, but the message that emerged from the trip is substantially unified.

Italy intends to continue ensuring its military presence on NATO's Eastern Flank, while simultaneously pushing Europe towards greater autonomous capacity to organize and integrate its own defense.

Not in opposition to NATO, but within the Alliance.

And on the ground this strategy means men, equipment, tanks, multinational units and Eurofighters ready for scramble.

As Crosetto reminded Italian military personnel:

«Being on the Eastern Flank means being there when needed, not just declaring our proximity».

Sources

Ministry of Defense – statements and communications of Minister Guido Crosetto, mission on the Eastern Flank, September 2026