Extreme Training for the Folgore: the Trench of “Giant Leap 2025”

In the Tuscan countryside, near the Altopascio (Lucca) drop zone, the multi-arm exercise “Giant Leap 2025” concluded in recent days, involving the units of the Paratroopers Brigade Folgore in a high-intensity combat scenario inspired by contemporary conflicts.
The main participants were the paratroopers of the 187th Regiment “Folgore”, supported by the 8th Paratrooper Engineer Regiment and the Folgore Logistic Regiment. The objective: to test the ability to conduct breaching and bypassing operations of passive and active obstacles — such as minefields, trenches, and fortifications — in an advanced conventional warfare context, but contaminated by new technological threats.

The exercise represented the final phase of a complex training cycle, designed to restore to the paratrooper units the tactical awareness that modern warfare requires. The idea was not only to practice procedures and coordination but also to train the soldier's mind to operate under pressure, in a context made complex by the constant use of drones and precision weapons.
All with a guiding principle: simulate maximum realism. Not by chance, “Giant Leap 2025” reproduced techniques, tactics, and procedures typical of ongoing conflicts on the global stage, where the line between defense and offense, between positional warfare and dynamic maneuver, is increasingly thin.

The Trench in the 21st Century: The Return of a War Symbol

The choice to train for trench warfare is neither random nor nostalgic: it represents a strategic return to a dimension that, after decades of asymmetric wars, is now dramatically relevant again.
Images from the fronts of Eastern Europe and the Middle East have brought the trench back to the forefront as a tactical and psychological element: a place of resistance, but also of extreme vulnerability. For this reason, the Folgore — traditionally oriented towards airborne and maneuver operations — wanted to confront scenarios of static warfare, where survival and effectiveness depend on the ability to move, observe, and react in minimal time.

During “Giant Leap 2025”, the paratroopers of the 187th Regiment faced a platoon stronghold protected by trenches and multiple obstacles, in a sequence that reproduced the realism of a symmetric clash.
The offensive maneuver was preceded by tactical reconnaissance conducted with quadcopter drones, now essential for battlefield control and information gathering. Subsequently, the breaching phase followed: opening gaps in the wire fences and minefields using explosive charges, all under a massive volume of simulated fire.

The objective was twofold: on one hand, to consolidate cooperation between infantry, engineers, and logistics; on the other, to measure the human factor, that is, the soldiers' ability to maintain clarity, coordination, and offensive spirit under extreme conditions.
The realism of the context, combined with the cognitive and physical pressure of the action, made the activity not only a technical exercise but also a lesson in military resilience.
As emphasized by the brigade command, the cognitive dimension is now a decisive component of modern training: recognizing, understanding, and reacting to an evolving threat is today as important as the ability to handle a weapon or move on the ground.

Training as a Pillar of Operational Readiness

Brigadier General Federico Bernacca, commander of the Folgore, personally attended the central phases of the exercise, congratulating the personnel for the quality of their commitment and the results achieved.
In his words, the operational philosophy of the Brigade is reflected: “This type of training represents one of the pillars of the paratrooper's preparation, who must be ready to operate at any time and in any context, even where the principles of conventional warfare merge with the continuous technological threat.”

The Folgore, heir to a long tradition of courage and professionalism, continues to stand out for its ability to combine fighting spirit and innovation.
The training conducted in Tuscany confirms how the Italian Armed Forces are today engaged in a process of mental and technical modernization, aimed at preparing their men and women to operate in scenarios where the technological superiority of the adversary can only be balanced by discipline, adaptability, and interforce coordination.

“Giant Leap 2025” is therefore not just an exercise, but a statement of method: facing the future with the awareness that war changes, but the value of the soldier remains unchanged.
And if today the trench returns to being a symbol of defense and sacrifice, the Folgore once again demonstrates that even in the challenges of the 21st century, the greatest leap remains that of courage.