Minister of Defense Guido Crosetto raising awareness of hybrid warfare with ‘non-paper’. “This is a war fought with ‘bombs’ that are less visible than physical bombs – we read – but that fall continuously, producing damage that, if we look at the trends and if we do not change our approach, we may not be able to contain it. We will wake up, one day, faced with enormous damage and we will ask ourselves, ‘shock’, what happened”.
The alarm
“There is one running a constant war that threatens us endlessly, day and night. The targets are critical infrastructure, decision-making centers, essential services, commercial structures, industry, supply chains, cognitive assets of society, and, ultimately, the stability of the country as a whole. This attack, which has been going on for years, is proceeding at an increasingly urgent pace, with the increasing risk that, sooner or later, the defense – which is never enough – will not be able to prevent the catastrophic effects caused by the attackers: the blockade of public transport (trains, airplanes), serious accidents, the malfunctioning of operating rooms and resuscitation departments, the collapse of the health service, the paralysis of the banking system, the corruption of the data on which pensions and salaries are based”, we read in the minister’s ‘non-paper’.
“This is about everyday risks, built into the hands of bad and unscrupulous actorsit is now also linked to the Government, which has effectively abandoned any reference to International Law, to peaceful coexistence and to the values we continue to embrace and defend. This is a war fought with ‘bombs’ that are less visible than physical bombs – as we read – but that fall constantly, producing damage that, if we look at the trends and if we do not change our approach, we may not be able to stem it. One day we will wake up to catastrophic damage and we will wonder, ‘in shock’, what happened. The answer is: ‘what is most likely, even, foreseeable, to happen, happens’, if we do not take concrete action to avoid it. Those who attack us every day with hybrid attacks, especially in disinformation, cognitive warfare and in the cyber domain, now know that Western countries often choose not to react. This is all nonsense. This attitude is not sustainable.”
“The attacks – he continued – were carried out at a level misinformationfrom cognitive warfare and enter cyber domain, they exploit the knowledge that ‘the West often chooses not to react’. In short, violations of airspace, territorial waters or land borders are also hybrid in nature we need to be prepared for legitimate and timely reactions. We need to immediately move from the current stance of containment to a concrete defensive stance (which in a hybrid context can only be proactive), both at the national level and in the context of alliances. We are under attack and ‘hybrid bombs keep falling’: the time to act is ‘now’“.
The EU’s role
“European institutions must take a leading role in determining a common strategy against hybrid warfare,” he continued. “The Commission, the Council and the EU Parliament must work in synergy to adopt regulations that strengthen cybersecurity, proactively counter disinformation, for example through common news certification tools, and protect critical infrastructure. Permanent mechanisms to monitor hybrid threats must be established, with a European special operations center coordinating the response and supporting Member States. In addition, we must invest in civic education and digital literacy programs to raise citizens’ awareness and reduce vulnerability to manipulation campaigns. A conscious citizenry is our best long-term defense“.
Concrete action
According to the minister, “real action cannot be postponed: an urgent update of the regulatory framework, aligning it with the best international practices, with the aim of enabling a ready and effective defense, consistent with current and future scenarios. Reforms must therefore be translated into the four directions already mentioned: defining cyberspace in the national interest as a real ‘field of operations’ in which the Ministry of Defense can act without interference; Cyber weapons, civil and militaryadequate size and capable of operating smoothly across the required spectrum of operations. From this perspective, although technical insights and discussions with friendly and allied countries continue, it can be assumed that this is the case a truly adequate and convincing force should be around 5,000 unitswith a dominant operational component”.
“But in more realistic terms, the initial goal may be to create initial capacity 1,200–1,500 units, of which about 75% are dedicated to operational tasks, thus guaranteeing continuity of action 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a yearaccording to models that have been consolidated in other defense sectors, such as air defense; guarantee adequate functional protection for this Arm for employed civilian and military specialists; finally building – we read again in the ‘non-paper’ – a Center for Countering Hybrid Warfare equipped with command and control, mechanisms for rapid sharing of best practices for countering disinformation and hostile actions in the field of cognitive warfare”.
“This is not an option – stressed Crosetto – this is a necessary condition and cannot be postponed to protect our citizens, our home, our territory, our country, as other countries are already doing. defensive posture, which in a hybrid context can only be proactive, both at the national level and in the context of alliances and now is the time to do it!”.
