The international geopolitical landscape is undergoing a phase of profound and irreversible transformation. The competition between powers has become structural, manifesting not only in confined crisis theaters but through a multidomain, hybrid, and continuous confrontation that severely tests the resilience of democracies. In this scenario, the Ministry of Defense has outlined a clear strategic vision for the 2027-2029 triennium through the Guidance Act presented by Minister Guido Crosetto. This is not merely bureaucratic planning but a paradigm shift aimed at ensuring the country's security in an era where the line between peace and conflict has become extremely blurred.

The Multidomain Emergency and the Speed of the Threat

The document acknowledges the reality of the facts. The current threat is no longer just conventional: it is a pressure that runs simultaneously on land, sea, sky, space, and cyber, extending to the cognitive, informational, and electromagnetic dimensions. The lesson of contemporary conflicts is unequivocal: the speed at which the threat evolves drastically compresses decision-making times.

The Ministry identifies the integration of a “multilevel aerospace defense” as the most urgent capability priority. It is necessary to build a national and European protective “dome” capable of countering multiple, dense, and repeated threats, ensuring a cost-effective and sustainable tool.

Beyond Traditional Defense: The Underwater Dimension and Hybrid Warfare

A crucial point concerns the vulnerability of critical infrastructures. The seabed, where telecommunications cables and energy backbones run, has become a front of silent competition. The Ministry decisively focuses on strengthening the National Pole of the Underwater Dimension (PNS).

Similarly, the cyber and cognitive challenge is framed as a “below threshold” competition aimed at undermining the citizens' trust in institutions. The proposed response is a shift to a defensive and proactive posture, which includes the creation of a National and European Center for Countering Hybrid Warfare.

Human Capital and Military Specificity

At the center of this transformation remain the men and women of Defense. The Act emphasizes the urgency of adjusting the workforce and investing in the specialist skills necessary for new technological domains. There is an explicit reference to the “specificity of military status”, which entails higher burdens and risks compared to ordinary public employment. In this sense, the Ministry proposes a revision of the economic and social security treatment, while simultaneously promoting welfare initiatives to manage family needs.

Defense Industry: An Operational Enabler

The national strategy cannot disregard a solid industrial base. The document surpasses the vision of Defense as a mere client, proposing to integrate the industry directly into the operational capability. There is a need for production depth, strategic reserves, and resilient supply chains. The invitation to European industries is to adopt interoperability standards “from the design stage”. The challenge is also financial: attracting private capital and overcoming the sector's penalization caused by restrictive interpretations of ESG criteria.

Conclusions: The Need for a Cultural Leap

The Guidance Act closes with a peremptory warning: Defense must be able to change at the speed of the threat. The outlined path requires a profound reorganization, linking each priority to measurable results. Italy aims to play a role as an aggregator for a “Continental Europe Defense Community”. National security requires quick decisions, certain resources, and the real, continuous, and unwavering ability to protect the country.

Source: * Ministry of Defense, Guidance Act of the Minister of Defense for the initiation of the integrated performance programming cycle and the formation of the budget forecast for the fiscal year 2027 and the multi-year programming 2028-2029 (09/07/2026).