Defense takes flight (with the F-35s). The turn of Lorenzo Guerini

<! – ->Lorenzo Guerini is the Minister of Defense. He does so, as promised, by tearing apart the veil of hypocrisy that has wrapped the defense for too long and assuming a clear and decisive position in favor of the confirmation of the F-35s. From Pozzuoli, where he participated in the inauguration of the academic year of the training institutes of the Air Force Academy, the owner of Palazzo Baracchini expressed himself clearly on the program. The target? "Close the F-35 debate". In summary, the aircraft built by Lockheed Martin serve the Armed Forces, consolidating Italy's position in the Euro-Atlantic context and allowing for a respectable return to work in the country.

THE DUTIES OF THE MINISTER

The closing of the debate, explained Guerini, takes place "inspired by some essential elements, those that pertain to my duties". And so here is the assumption of responsibility: "In the choices we will be called to make, I intend not to derogate from any of these duties". Among these, he added, "there is that of guaranteeing the effectiveness of the military instrument, that of keeping Italy within the commitments assumed at international level and in the alliances in which we participate and that of seeing the positive effects that the choices that we do have on our country ”. The F-35 program, he explained, "brings all these elements into play and I do not intend very precisely not to derogate from any of these duties".

THE VALUE OF THE PROGRAM

On the other hand, as reiterated by all military leaders, the fifth-generation aircraft meets a specific operational need of the Italian armed forces. It is also part of a program that Italy joined in 1998, when our country entered the "Concept Demonstration Phase". In 2012, the purchase forecast was reduced from 131 to 90 aircraft, not without consequences in terms of job prospects for the Cameri plant, in the province of Novara, the only assembly center and final verification of the Old Continent that year later he began his operations. Then, the dossier was managed with the confirmation of the commitments, but also with a certain reluctance to publicity on the part of the successive governments, an attitude that precedes the governmental government greenish. At the same time, on the operational front, the Air Force went ahead with the aircraft, continuing to record records, including the latest one, with the first fifth-generation deployment on a NATO mission (in Iceland).

REACTIONS

Less than a month ago Minister Guerini had come out into the open on the subject. In an interview with Corriere della Sera he had explained the "responsibility" to confirm the planned commitments, based on three key principles taken up today in Pozzuoli: "Operational efficiency of the military instrument, consistency with the commitments undertaken and attention to industrial and employment returns". Even then, the stance had not left anyone indifferent. Appreciations from most of the oppositions (all the center-right) and from the experts, less from a part of the pentastellat allies of government, who had already jumped when the same newspaper, a few days before, had revealed the assurances provided by Giuseppe Conte to Mike Pompeo. The M5S continues to support the renegotiation line, especially in order to obtain greater industrial returns.

OPPORTUNITIES

On this, thanks to Guerini's position, a bank offered him unexpectedly Donald Trump during the visit to the president's White House Sergio Mattarella. The US president complimented the Italian plans and stressed that the "program is going very well". According to many observers this represents an open door to Italian ambitions to confirm the role of the Cameri plant and of the entire supply chain involved, from the big to the SMEs. In fact the program is going really well. In the last month the Netherlands has defined the purchase of nine F-35 more than the 37 already planned. Belgium has also formalized plans for 34 aircraft, adding an agreement between several Belgian companies and Lockheed Martin to secure important industrial returns. A Cameri has recently received a Polish delegation that could choose the Novara site to assemble the 32 F-35s that Warsaw intends to purchase.

THE COST AGREEMENT

In addition, last week, the Pentagon and Lockheed Martin signed the agreement for the next production lots of the fifth-generation aircraft. These are 478 jets for a total value of $ 34 billion, destined for the US Forces, program partners (such as Italy) and other foreign customers. The news is that the costs of the aircraft still fall, falling below the threshold of 80 million for a conventional F-35, a result reached a year earlier than expected. It means that the fifth-generation set-up costs less than a fourth, with a drop of almost 13% in the unit cost compared to the last contracted lot.

THE TURNING POINT OF GUERINI

It is also for this reason that Guerini returned to the subject from Pozzuoli, a week after the presentation of his program lines before the Defense Commissions of the Chamber and Senate. The change of pace given by the dem seems objectively evident. From dual use as a stylistic feature of the dicastery, Guerini began by restoring the tasks entrusted by the Constitution to the Armed Forces, first of all the Defense of the State and its interests. From here, observing the complexity of the international scenario on which these interests unfold, the need for modernization, and therefore of financial certainty and increased investments, follows. This was clearly explained by Guerini in his programmatic lines, and then again yesterday at the Centro studi studi Difesa (Casd) for the event organized by the Aiad, the federation of companies in the sector. At Palazzo Baracchini, the turn seems evident.

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