Italy Plans to Create 10,000-Strong Military Reserve Corps

Italy plans to create a 10,000-strong reserve corps to strengthen its defense capabilities and achieve NATO’s defense spending goals.

Euractiv reported on this.

On Wednesday, June 18, Nino Minardo, chairman of the Lower House Defense Committee, announced that starting July 8, parliamentarians will work on a bill to create a voluntary auxiliary reserve.

The goal is to attract trained former military personnel who can be quickly mobilized in the event of an emergency.

The Austrian model is being considered as a benchmark: Vienna maintains a force of up to 35,000 reservists, who are required by law to undergo 30 days of annual training for at least five years with the approval of their employer.

As noted, there are currently about 160,000 active military personnel in Italy. This is less than in France, Germany or Poland, but more than in Spain or Greece.

The Italian Air Force has integrated long-range Meteor missiles into its EF-2000A Typhoon fighter jets and deployed them for the first time as part of a NATO air mission in May this year.

This fall, Italy will deploy the SAMP/T air defense missile system capable of intercepting ballistic missiles in Estonia.