Masiello’s Warning: “the illusion of peace is buried”

There is no longer any room for complacency. The Chief of Staff of the Italian Army, General Carmine Masiello, has broken the silence on an uncomfortable truth: the illusion that the end of the Cold War had delivered eternal peace to the world is definitively buried. We have entered a new era, a context of supremacy in which stability is only a memory and defense preparedness becomes a matter of survival.

"The era in which we had only rights is over. The era has begun in which we must also understand that we have duties."

A borderless laboratory of war

Speaking at the eleventh edition of the “Festival del Sarà – Dialoghi sul futuro,” Masiello does not mince words. The conflict theaters in Ukraine and Iran are not merely regional crises, but “tragic laboratories” where the future of warfare is being written. A future that is not confined to trenches or tanks, but that inseparably merges the conventional, technological and, above all, cognitive dimensions. The battle is now fought everywhere: in the physical domain, cyberspace and people’s minds, targeted by AI-driven disinformation that we are often not even able to recognize.

Europe at a crossroads

The General warns: NATO remains the backbone of our security, but it cannot be enough. With America turning its attention toward other horizons, Europe can no longer afford to remain a spectator. The European defense pillar must be strengthened, it must evolve, and it must do so quickly. Strategic dependence is a luxury the current geopolitical environment no longer allows us to maintain.

An appeal to the nation

Masiello’s message goes beyond military strategy; it is a direct appeal to the public. Citing Article 52 of the Constitution, the General brings an end to the era of absolute delegation of security. The defense of the homeland is no longer a responsibility borne exclusively by military personnel, but a “sacred duty” that concerns every citizen in a world where threats have become pervasive. In essence, it is a call for awareness: in this new “era of supremacy,” Italy must rediscover the deeper meaning of its duties in order to continue exercising its rights.