Technical tests in Italy for a National Security Council
What emerged from the meeting of the Supreme Defense Council which took place on 11 December. Facts, scenarios and insights. The analysis of Francesco D'Arrigo, director of the Italian Institute of Strategic Studies “Niccolò Machiavelli”.
Last December 11, the President of the Republic Sergio Mattarella presided over the Supreme Defense Council, which was attended by the President of the Council of Ministers – Giorgia Meloni, the ministers of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation – Tajani, and of the Interior – Piantedosi , defense – Crosetto, economy and finance – Giorgetti, and the Chief of Defense Staff – Admiral Cavo Dragone. Also present were the Undersecretary of State at the Presidency of the Council of Ministers – Mantovano, the Secretary General of the Presidency of the Republic – Zampetti and the Advisor to the President of the Republic for the Affairs of the Supreme Defense Council and Secretary of the Council – Garofani.
The Supreme Defense Council is a body of constitutional importance responsible for examining general political and technical problems relating to national security and defence.
Depending on the circumstances and the matter discussed, other ministers, the Chiefs of Staff of the Armed Forces, the general commander of the Carabinieri, the president of the Council of State, as well as other subjects and personalities in possession of particular skills in the scientific, industrial and economic fields and experts in military problems.
The Council reviewed all the ongoing tense situations and examined the war situation in Ukraine, reiterating its firm condemnation of the aggression carried out by the Russian Federation and Italy's full support for Ukraine in its defense against the invader. He condemned without reservation the brutality committed by Hamas in Israel on 7 October, with acts of terrorism that caused more than a thousand civilian deaths and led to the kidnapping of more than two hundred people, including women, children and the elderly. He also expressed concern about acts of anti-Semitism perpetrated in many parts of the world and in Italy and about hostages held by Hamas. It also dedicated particular focus to the situation in the Western Balkans and other areas of crisis and instability in Africa, particularly those of the wider Mediterranean and the Sahel.
WILL INTELLIGENCE REFORM LEAD TO THE ESTABLISHMENT OF A NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL?
The Supreme Defense Council has issued a statement summarizing the in-depth work carried out on the changes that new technologies are introducing into international competition and therefore on their effects on the evolution of modern strategic scenarios. He believes it is essential to develop awareness and capacity for action also in the new areas of human interaction: the cybernetic, spatial and underwater domains and the cognitive dimension. A more effective national security and governance architecture is a condition for countering new threats as well as the risks of offensive use of emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence. Given the transversality of hybrid threats, a joint effort by the country system is essential."
In this part of the official press release, issued by the Presidency of the Republic at the end of the works, can we glimpse the government's strategic orientations on the announced reform of the Information System for the security of the Republic?
ARE WE CLOSER TO THE ESTABLISHMENT OF A NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL, SIMILAR TO THOSE EXISTING IN OTHER WESTERN DEMOCRAcies?
The Italian Institute of Strategic Studies , since its foundation, has highlighted with analyses, publications and events the absence of a body in the Italian legal system, responsible for dealing permanently with security profiles in order to assist the government in this delicate sector. A collegial body – established permanently on the basis of the law and not the consequence of internal decisions within the executive like those experienced in practice – with responsibilities for planning, preparation, consultancy and liaison with the various administrative divisions, with the planning and decision-making centers of international security organizations, in particular with NATO.
Today, the Supreme Defense Council, the main instrument through which the Head of State acquires detailed knowledge of the Government's orientations in matters of security and defence, in order to be able to adequately carry out the complex role of balance and guarantee attributed to it by the Constitution, is the institutional headquarters permanent for the discussion and multidisciplinary study of issues relating to security and defence.
In this last meeting at the end of the year, delving into the evolution of modern strategic scenarios, the Council enunciates the need for "a more effective national security and governance architecture as a condition for countering new hybrid threats".
The new architecture could consist of a National Security Council (CSN), a governing body that deals with national security issues of the country. In the Western democracies where it was established, the CSN coordinates and manages security policies at the national level, develops strategies to address external and internal threats, makes decisions on operations concerning national security, intelligence, defense and establishes priorities of expense.
The CSN is generally chaired by the Head of State or the Head of Government and involves senior government officials, military leaders, intelligence services and other experts. Its composition may vary depending on the country and the specific challenges it faces.
Among the typical responsibilities of the CSN are the analysis of risks and threats to national security, the development of security strategies and policies, intelligence and defense supervision, emergency management, planning of military operations and cooperation with other countries or international organizations to address transnational threats.
The CSN can have decision-making or consultative powers and can work in close collaboration with other government bodies, such as the ministries of defence, foreign and interior affairs, the economy and with the various branches of the state. Its existence and functioning are governed by specific laws or regulations.
ITALY IS A CONTINENTAL AND MARITIME STATE AT THE SAME TIME, WHICH HAS A GEOSTRATEGIC ROLE
prominent in an increasingly unstable international context and the interconnection between the sea that surrounds it and other domains also tends to remove the boundaries between internal, foreign, security and defense policies, making the decision-making process increasingly complex and dependent on information. A complexity that is highlighting the need to find solutions that require an integrated approach in an inter-ministerial and above all international context, long-term planning and the development of an all-encompassing national security strategy.
Our institutions are daily observing that the national security policy as it has been conceived up to now is no longer adequate, because it can no longer guarantee the protection of the nation from the new hybrid threats that determine a typology of risks and potential conflicts without rules and limits, which extend their consequences to networks and civilian populations. Therefore the need to evolve towards a new "national security paradigm" capable of dealing with risks, threats, attacks and consequences of catastrophic, natural and/or anthropic events, now interdependent and global.
The State needs a body connected with technological development and above all with the "Country System", capable of guaranteeing all areas relating to national security, general military strategy and the concept of military defense, ranging from threat monitoring to planning of preventive, dissuasive and reactive actions, with the aim of protecting national interests and the population. The National Security Council can help achieve these strategic objectives.
This is a machine translation from Italian language of a post published on Start Magazine at the URL https://www.startmag.it/mondo/prove-tecniche-in-italia-per-un-consiglio-di-sicurezza-nazionale/ on Wed, 13 Dec 2023 15:14:18 +0000.