General Oresta: A Bitter Farewell to the Scuola Marescialli in Florence

Florence, July 1, 2025 – The news of General Pietro Oresta's removal from his position as Commander of the Scuola Marescialli e Brigadieri in Florence has shaken the Carabinieri community and beyond. A dismissal that, according to reports, is directly linked to a speech delivered last Friday to the cadet marshals at the end of their three-year course: candid words, full of humanity and a particular focus on personal well-being that, apparently, were not appreciated by the top brass of the Corps.

The Contested Words: The Man Before the Carabiniere

General Oresta's speech, which quickly circulated on social media thanks to video snippets, struck a sensitive chord. Addressing the new marshals and their families, Oresta emphasized the importance of personal and family well-being, even above certain instructions or procedures. "Helping an elderly person cross the street has more impact than finding 300 tons of cocaine and arresting 20 people," he said. And again: "your well-being, and that of your families, our life is superior to any instruction or procedure." A passage then dedicated to a less "heroic" and more pragmatic vision of service: "Batman, Robin, Rambo, we don't care… we need to do our things [...] life and family outweigh at any cost any procedure or instructions."

These words, interpreted by many as a call to mental health and the dignity of the person under the uniform, evidently touched institutional sensitivities. The timing of the removal, which occurred on Sunday afternoon, just 72 hours after the speech, suggests a direct correlation.

The Response from the Top: General Luongo and the Sense of Discipline

Although there have been no direct official communications about Oresta's removal from the General Command of the Corps, the words spoken by the General Commander of the Carabinieri Corps, General Salvatore Luongo, on Monday in Padua during a ceremony, have been read as a clear response to the affair. Luongo strongly emphasized the sense of military discipline: "It is not mere observance of rules, but a conscious sharing of a higher ideal, which guides the behavior of every carabiniere even beyond the horizon of personal convenience." He continued by defining discipline as "the silent force that regulates actions, the inner virtue that makes the ranks cohesive," and "the indispensable condition for the accomplishment of the mission and the safeguarding of republican values." A clear reference to the traditional values of the Corps, which seem to place adherence to the code of norms and values above individual considerations of well-being.

A Difficult Context: The Precedent of the Suicide at the School

It is important to remember that General Oresta, who took office at the School in 2023, had to face, not without deep sorrow, the tragic incident of the suicide of a 25-year-old female cadet in 2024. This episode had forcefully brought back to light the issue of mental health among young people in military careers. It is not unreasonable to hypothesize that General Oresta's words were also a reflection and a reaction to that painful experience, an attempt to emphasize the need not to neglect the human and psychological aspect of the military.

Conclusions: A Necessary Debate

The removal of General Pietro Oresta has raised a crucial debate within the Italian Armed Forces: that between the rigidity of military discipline and the growing importance of the psychophysical well-being of personnel. His words, despite their candor, highlighted a sensitivity towards the challenges that young military personnel face, in a context where issues such as stress, burnout, and psychological distress are increasingly present.

The integrity and effectiveness of a complex institution like the Corps depend not only on strict adherence to rules but also on the ability to protect and enhance the human dimension of those who are part of it. It remains to be seen whether this episode will trigger a broader reflection on how to reconcile military tradition with the needs of a new generation of state servants.