NATO’s eastern front is in turmoil, the Middle East is in turmoil, while Russia seems unwilling to stop the war in Ukraine. In this context, Europe faces a historic turning point: building policy common defense.
The 27 countries of the European Union must rethink the security architecture built after the Second World War and build an integrated industrial system to support the strategic autonomy of the Old Continent and respond to the threats of an increasingly multipolar world. This and much more was discussed today at the conference organized, in collaboration with Icinn – Institute for Innovation Culture, by Start Magazine to present the paper “Consolidation of the defense industry: the route to Europe”. The Deputy Minister of Defense, senator of the Fratelli d’Italia, also participated in the event via video message Isabella Rautiwhich stated: “The paradigm has been broken and we live in threatening times. Conflicts today occur in the digital and cyberspace realm, in the spatial realm, in the underwater dimension and in the cognitive realm.” Rauti then revealed some rather worrying data: “According to the latest 2025 data from the NATO Cyber Defense Center of Excellence in Tallinn (Estonia), hybrid attack against critical infrastructure has increased by 60% compared to the previous year”. And again: “Italy was particularly targeted: in the first quarter of this year Italy accounted for more than 10% of cyber incidents worldwide.
The government-military sector was the most impacted, with growth of 600% compared to the previous year.”
Therefore, there is only one path for Europe: increasing the integration of the armed forces and defense industry. In fact, strengthening cooperation in the military and industrial sectors currently appears essential to guarantee Europe’s security and strategic autonomy.
The conference, moderated by journalist Chiara Rossi of Start Magazine, was also attended by Senator Stefania Pucciarelli, president of the Extraordinary Commission for the Protection and Promotion of Human Rights, Action deputy and Copasir secretary Ettore Rosato, Admiral Luca Conti, national representative on the NATO and EU Military Committees, as well as engineer Lorenzo Mariani, Managing Director of MBDA Italy, Elettronica Group CEO Domitilla Benigni, engineer Vito Morreale, Head of AI & Data R&I, Engineering, doctor Alessandro Marrone from Istituto Affari Internazionali (IAI) and professor Gregory Alegi from LUISS Guido Carli in Rome.
