Italy celebrates Armed Forces, 'the institutions are with the military'

"Without Defense there is no security and without security there is no freedom". On the Day of National Unity and the Armed Forces, the message of firmness in the face of the country's need for unity in the face of international crises arrives strongly. It is the Minister of Defense Guido Crosetto, in one of his messages, who explains that "the national unity that we celebrate today reminds us of the need to recognize ourselves as part of the same community, to respect our differences and to assume responsibility for our future together".

On the day of commemoration, the President of the Republic, Sergio Mattarella, placed a laurel wreath on the tomb of the Unknown Soldier: together with him, at the Altare della Patria, the Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, the other heads of the institutions. Then the usual passage of the Frecce tricolori.

This year the day was also marked by mourning for the soldiers who disappeared last October 29 in Bosnia-Herzegovina, in the helicopter crash while they were engaged in the Eufor Althea operation.

The celebrations then moved to Florence, in the presence of the head of state and Crosetto himself. "To the traditional conflicts that continue to bloodied large areas of the world, including Europe, we add - said Mattarella, speaking of current scenarios - widespread disinformation, competition in space, the cybernetic dimension, the pervasive use of artificial intelligence and autonomous systems, domains in which acts of aggression are today in worrying and progressive expansion. It is a scenario that requires profound capacity for renewal, in rapidly integrating new technologies and in guaranteeing concrete capabilities for future challenges".

The minister thanked the President of the Republic, "for the support, for the strength, for the determination with which, in his mandates, he always wanted to show his respect, in his speeches, in his words, which are not many, but which in the right moments are used to guide a country and to try to keep the country united, even when it tries not to be". You more than others - said Crosetto, addressing Mattarella - understood that this is a moment of dramatic crisis, an epochal change. To this - he added - we can only respond with solid values, with a solid vision, with the ability to maintain a clear vision of good and evil, of right and wrong". For the head of Defense "the Armed Forces need institutions that understand their work, that support them". A message that also arrives in view of the approval of the thirteenth aid package in Kiev in the coming weeks.

A thought for the four soldiers who disappeared a few days ago also came from the Chief of Defense Staff, Luciano Portolano, who expressed "a touching thought for all the fallen. Their sacrifice represents the highest expression of dedication to service and unconditional love towards their homeland" said the general while greeting the city of Florence "which on 4 November 1966 experienced the tragic experience of the flood. On that occasion, our Armed Forces and the financial police together with other institutions offered generous contributions to thousands of citizens to bring relief to the affected population". President Mattarella handed over the gold medal to the mother of David Tobini, killed in a firefight in Afghanistan in July 2011: it is a recognition of military valor in memory of the parachute corporal of the Folgore Brigade.