ITALIAN CHIEF OF DEFENSE ON MILITARY TRANSFORMATION

UNCLAS ROME 005687

SIPDIS


SENSITIVE

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: MCAP MARR MOPS PGOV PREL IT NATO
SUBJECT: ITALIAN CHIEF OF DEFENSE ON MILITARY TRANSFORMATION

REF: IIR 6 850 0077 04


1. (U) Summary. CHOD Moscha Moschini told an audience of
high-level military officials that Italy's armed forces must
focus on neutralizing the threat from non-state actors and
contribute to international peace and security. Procurement
policy should be calibrated to equip them to meet these
objectives. NATO is the touchstone of Italy's military
transformation. The NATO Response Force and Transformational
Command will guide Italy's efforts to enhance its military
capabilities, according to Mosca Moschini. At the same time,
he believes the new European Armaments Agency (EAA) can help
the EU build up its military capabilities and contribute to
strengthening NATO's European pillar. Italy is making good
progress toward military transformation but defense spending
contraints will continue to impede more rapid progress
through 2004. End Summary.


2. (U) Chief of the Italian General Staff (CHOD) Rolando
Mosca Moschini recently outlined his views on defense
modernization and transformation in remarks delivered at
Italy's Defense Academy. Mosca Moschini, who laced his
comments with repeated references to the unfavorable
budgetary situation faced by the armed forces, began by
describing what in his view are the three key elements of a
modern military force: jointness, the ability to operate in a
multinational context, and interdisciplinary expertise in
working with civilian personnel and para-military security
forces.

Italy's National Military Priorities
--------------


3. (U) Mosca Moschini said Italy's operational capabilities
should be focused on addressing two interrelated security
objectives. On a tactical level, Italy's armed forces must
be able to neutralize the security threat from adversaries,
which under current conditions are predominately non-state
actors. From a long-term strategic perspective, Italy should
be in a position to enhance international security, taking
into account threats from WMD proliferation, transnational
criminal organizations, and international terrorist groups.
Mosca Moschini argued that only by implementing a procurement
policy in keeping with these two interlocking challenges
could Italy accrue the right mix of capabilities to meet
current and future threats. Following this approach will
help ensure that the procurement system engenders the most
bang for the buck, he suggested.


4. (U) Mosca Moschini said his aim is to pursue the maximum
level of military harmonization with Italy's allies, and
organize the armed forces around a standardized model that
will allow Italy to conduct as a lead nation a limited-scale
crisis response operation. Given Italy's financial
limitations, military procurement must be focused on
fulfilling the country's current operational requirements.
These include: development of strategic reconnaissance
dual-use satellites, interoperable C4I capabilities,
air-to-air missiles, and theater missile defense systems.
Italy is focused on acquiring land- and sea-based air defense
missiles, the Horizon Frigate for air defense, a new aircraft
carrier, the Eurofighter, and, potentially, JSF. It also is
intent on strengthening air lift and refueling capabilities,
increasing tactical mobility and combat support, and
substituting the existing naval escort squadron with a new
multi-role frigate. Mosca Moschini claimed that
notwithstanding Italy's efforts to modernize its armed
forces, the unfavorable budgetary situation has forced a cut
back in several noteworthy programs.

NATO is the Touchstone of Transformation
--------------


5. (U) Italy's CHOD praised the Prague Capabilities
Commitment initiative, claiming Italy's defense programs were
in line with the PCC, and lauded the utility of NATO's High
Readiness Forces (Comment: Mosca Moschini's appreciation for
the HRF concept is not surprising given that Italy has a Land
Component Command headquarters at Solbiate Olona near Milano
and in July 2005 will stand up a Maritime Force Command

headquarters. End Comment). He suggested that agreement to
stand up a NATO Response Force (NRF) was arguably an even
more important development. Indeed, the NRF, NATO's
Transformational Commmand, and a transatlantic defense
industrial sector able to meet the operational needs of a
transformed Alliance are the key elements contributing to its
evolution, Moscha Moschini argued. Italy's key reference
point for procurement policy is the NRF. At the same time,
Italy's pursuit of long-term structural capacities should
mesh with reforms championed by the Transformational Command.


ESDP a Spur to Improved Capabilities
--------------


6. (U) Turning to EU defense matters, Mosca Moschini
suggested that, as the Berlin-plus mechanism is refined, the
Headline Goal will move closer to realization, although the
EU in his estimation is still far from being able to produce
an adequate and autonomous capacity for military
intervention. He stressed that the EU Rapid Reaction Force
(RRF) should not differentiate itself from the NRF. If the
NRF is the best model, Mosca Moschini reasoned, the RRF
should try to emulate it. He thought it would be relatively
easy to achieve EU-NATO cooperation within the
Transformational Command.


7. (U) Harking back to the European Capability Action Plan
(ECAP) created at Helsinki to help EU member states advance
their operational capabilities, Mosca Moschini drew a
parallel between the ECAP and the new European Armaments
Agency (EAA). He said that EU leaders had agreed the Agency
would operate on the basis of political guidance received
from member state defense ministers. Its purpose will be to
accelerate the development of the EU's military capabilities
by promoting multilateral collaboration on strengthening
Europe's technological and industrial base, and helping to
create a European armaments market that is competitive
globally. It will also have a role in coordinating and
promoting applied research to boost the European defense
sector. Mosca Moschini surmised that processes set in motion
by the creation of the EAA could eventually lead to an
historical advance for Europe.


8. (U) According to Mosca Moschini, the key to building up a
European defense identity will not be found in agreeing on
convergence criteria, which are important but not fundamental
in his estimation. The problem of developing greater cost
efficient capacity and setting acquisition priorities has to
be achieved via the synergistic relationship among the NRF,
NATO's Transformational Command, and a European industrial
pole operating in favor of the Alliance. Therefore, Mosca
Moschini concluded, three core elements are necessary for
building up the European pillar of NATO: the right
convergence criteria, a robust instrument for the definition
and prioritizing of procurement needs, and the political will
to spend more on defense. He hoped that the EU could be a
driver contributing to the realization of each.


9. (SBU) Comment. Moscha Moschini's remarks reflect his
commitment, and that of DefMin Martino (septel),to building
a multi-role, rapidly deployable, and interoperable military
force. Our upcoming burdensharing sharing report (septel)
will demonstrate that Italy is making good progress toward
this goal. Nevertheless, the CHOD's lament about resource
shortfalls is true--spending on hard defense assets will
again hover just above one percent next year (septel)--and is
impacting the pace of military transformation. When Mosca
Moschini takes over the EU's Military Committee in April
2004, his transatlantic orientation should make him a strong
advocate for the Berlin-Plus method while Italy's persistent
budgetary constraints will help ensure he remains a critic of
duplication in the defense arena. End Comment.

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2003ROME05687 - Classification: UNCLASSIFIED