The Italian Defense Minister, Guido Crosetto, was heard today in a joint session by the Defense commissions of the Chamber of Deputies, and the Foreign Affairs and Defense commissions of the Senate. The topic under examination was the programmatic lines of his dicastery, which aim to strengthen the "credibility" of organizations and institutions also "through a relationship of adequacy between the management of resources", in particular personnel, "and the product of their use".

On the economic issue, he added: "Employment in international operations is, to date, the main opportunity for feedback on the effective operational capacity of the military instrument. Future employment scenarios will be much more complex than in low-intensity operational theaters up to deal with now". It is therefore necessary to ensure credibility "through the improvement and monitoring of personnel training performance".

In addition, "it is necessary to start -he added- a reflection on the adequate distribution of the personnel endowments of the military personnel with respect to the functional needs, to deal with the contrast to the effects of the aging of the military personnel with respect to some onerous tasks to be carried out. It is a question, in summary, to rebalance the relationship between skills and average age of the staff through some lines of action such as the review of supply flows and the balance between forces in permanent service and pre-established stops".

"The current model -continues Crosetto- is essentially based on the mechanism of transition into permanent service, precluding a regular turnover between older and younger people. On the other hand, the goal should be to offer young people a fixed-term experience, with a qualified safety program for reintegration into the world of work".

"Another line of action consists in reviewing the reserve tool. In the last 20 years the 'Selected reserve' has enriched our contingents with specific skills that are more than ever necessary even in modern scenarios. This tool must now be integrated, in terms of number and quality, with a further rate of 'completion' to be fed both with personnel leaving active service after a pre-established service and, if necessary, with personnel without previous military experience".

The minister then concluded: the "Enhancement of personnel through the reform of the pension system, directed towards the adoption of the hypothesis of 'dedicated pension'; the achievement of full equi-ordination in the defense, security and public aid sector; the enhancement functions, through the provision of specific legal protection of the military; the improvement of processes and management of human resources and new hires of civilian Defense personnel. Finally, the integration of the welfare state of personnel in the Defense sector but also the energy efficiency of military infrastructures in order to reduce consumption and the rationalization and optimization of spaces, also in terms of joint forces".