The Russia-Ukraine conflict is a “multidomain” war. The traditional ones – land, sea and air – have been joined by cyber and space: clashes and threats in these sectors are now encountered every day. Admiral Giuseppe Cavo Dragone, Defense Chief of Staff, illustrates his programmatic lines to the joint Defense Committees of the Chamber and Senate. The current context “recalls a climate of the cold war” underlines the admiral. Programs and modernization of the Armed Forces must be accelerated, the head of Smd reveals his plans. The cyber and space sectors will have priority thrust.
A sixth domain of conflict
Cavo Dragone analyzes the Russian-Ukrainian scenario. «I go so far as to state that perhaps a new battlefield has emerged in this war. I refer to the cognitive one. The weapons at stake are the control of the media, fake news, the exploitation of social networks “. In short, all that is able to «support the malign information and thus interfere with public sentiments and opinions ». The chessboard of hostile actions is teeming with unprecedented, threatening and constantly moving moves and pieces. The Armed Forces system must thus reconvert as soon as possible. The second – only in order of list – priority for the head of Smd concerns the two younger domains but in full action: cyber and space. The first priority is “the improvement of joint forces integration” –
Reinforced defense: 1) the new cyber programs
New regulations will also be needed, says Admiral Cavo Dragone, to increase Defense’s presence in the cyber and space sectors so as to “develop the ability to conduct operations in both domains.” But in the meantime, programs will be integrated immediately to “strengthen the management and protection capacity of data, strengthen those against cyber threats, and compete in the protection of critical infrastructures”. In this domain “the Defense must have a central role”. The hearing emerged «the development of the project called Defence Cloud to create a single classified info-structure ». “Additional resources are also needed to enable the Defense to conduct the full range of cyber operations.” With a series of “projects together with the university and the national industry”.
Reinforced defense: 2) the new space programs
An unprecedented global competition is underway for “space domination,” warns Admiral Cavo Dragone. «It portends possible future kinetic conflicts, it extends to tried and institutional actors, with an increase in correlated risks». They come “from space, to space and into space”. It becomes necessary, underlines the head of Smd, “an evolution of governance; the development of operational capabilities; international cooperation “. Not only that: “We will continue to invest in the technological development of telecommunications, earth observation and positioning, navigation and timing systems”. More investments also «on the Space domanin awareness (SDA) to be aware of the situation in the domain (threat, interference, etc.) so as to counter malicious actions and instrumental escalation risks “.
The innovations in the Defense Staff
Cavo Dragone announces the innovations in the government strategy of the Armed Forces. «The Defense has started a continuous review of its operational and organizational structure. Within Smd we have set up the General Innovation Office (Ugid) as the only point of reference for the innovative process at a strategic level ». “The General Planning Department, former part of the third department” called Military Policy was also born. They are “organizational changes to give a growing push in the study of new domains and technologies and a more targeted modernization”. Training is also decisive: “The role of the Casd will be consolidated in the exchange and dialogue with national excellence such as universities, research and the Information and Security Department (Dis)” (Centro Alti Studi Difesa). It becomes «the cyber training center of Defense». The Centro Alti Studi, in fact, has taken on «new skills and functions. It is configured, on an experimental basis for a three-year period, in the High School with a special defense system of high qualification and research in the field of defense and security sciences ». The cultural renewal of military leadership is now urgently required.