Minister Crosetto at the 4th Machiavelli Defense Forum

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The Minister of Defense, Guido Crosetto, spoke at the 4th Conference of the Machiavelli Center for Political and Strategic Studies, dedicated to the theme "Italy's Preparedness for Upcoming Challenges."

"We must be clear: security is not a given. And the double meaning of the word helps us understand this. It is not a given because it is not guaranteed: it must be built every day through training, cooperation, and readiness. But it is also not ‘a given’ in economic terms: it comes at a cost, and we cannot afford to cut spending on what ensures our freedom. Because without security, there is no freedom. And without freedom, there is no future," said Minister Crosetto, who then added:

"Today, we are not ready to face the complexity and speed of the times we live in. This is the issue: how to reconcile the pace of democracies with the speed imposed by reality. NATO meets once a year. Putin invaded Ukraine in a single day.

We live in a world where decisions are made by the hour: the slowness of decision-making procedures is a serious vulnerability. We need a cultural shift: we are not prepared to deal with issues like war. But ignoring them won’t make them disappear. We need new awareness: defense is not just a matter for the government, but for the nation : because security is not an opinion, it is a collective responsibility."