Italy’s Defense Minister Guido Crosetto has expressed Italy’s readiness to lead the European military mission being prepared to protect commercial navigation in the Red Sea.
In an interview published by the Corriere della Sera newspaper on Friday, Crosetto stated, “If they ask us to lead, we will accept. We have the capabilities.”
He added, “However, if the French want to lead the mission in the Red Sea, that’s fine too. The issue is that we need an effective force as soon as possible to safeguard the security of commercial ships, our economies, and uphold international navigation rights.”
Minister Crosetto criticized the lack of coherence in the foreign policies of European Union member states and their inability to unify their approaches.
He pointed out, “This is how Europe is currently. There are 27 different foreign policies, and each country has its own agenda. Not only in Gaza but also in Lebanon, Niger, North Africa, and Kosovo.”
He continued, “That’s why we don’t play a central role in the world.”
In the same context, the Italian Defense Minister announced that in the coming weeks, he will propose legislation to establish a national reserve for the armed forces, similar to the systems in Switzerland and Israel.
He described this as one of the necessary reforms for Italy.
Crosetto stated, “The world is changing. There are clear wars and hybrid ones. In the Red Sea alone, there are multiple conflicts, and China and Russia are already engaged in their own hybrid war, where their commercial ships enjoy navigation freedom in the Red Sea, as promised by the Houthi rebels in Yemen. It’s an advantage that risks destroying competition.”
He added, “As part of the upcoming European mission, we will have to send ships and missiles to the Red Sea. Financing new expenses won’t be easy. We inherited assets for the armed forces based on the assumption that we wouldn’t have to defend ourselves against any attack. Everything must change, including the laws, including those related to the powers of the ministries, to provide us with a real and effective capability to defend our country.”
