Meloni from the Alpine troops launches hypotheses of voluntary military service

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The national meeting of the Alpini yesterday in Udine (80,000, according to ANA estimates, from all over Italy and also from abroad), was the occasion for the premier Giorgia Meloni (arrived early in the morning to testify her closeness to the “family” of black feathers), to express her thoughts on the draft. “It is certainly a theme that can be tackled as a voluntary hypothesis, an alternative to civil service”. Even the President of the Senate, Ignatius LaRussareflects on the hypothesis of military service, preferring the idea of ​​a “mini naja of 40 days”, always on a voluntary basis: the “colleagues in the Senate” will soon present a bill on the matter, he anticipates.

The Minister for Relations with Parliament also speaks of small military service or “compulsory civil service”, Luca Ciriani: «to bring young people closer to the institutions», he specifies. The defense attorney, Guido Crosetto, reaches the grandstand after having escorted the banner of the ANA in parade with the national president of the association Sebastiano Favero. “Hundreds of thousands of people gather here who have in common not only the Alpine hat, but what the hat represents: the will to give themselves to others and to serve the country”, observes the minister.

Behind the farewell to the military draft, there is a reform approved nineteen years ago, and outlined by the then defense minister. His name is Sergio Mattarella, now President of the Republic. In October 2000, in fact, the Senate finally gave the go-ahead for the law which provides for the naja «only in the event of war or particular cases of crisis». Only Communist Refoundation votes against. Greens and Pdci abstain. The Mattarella reform provides for the farewell to the recruitment of conscripts, replaced by voluntary personnel on permanent service, within seven years (it will be completed in advance, in 2006, on the impetus of the provisions of a subsequent law, the “Martino” law from name of Mattarella’s successor at the helm of Defense). Over the six years there will be a progressive reduction in the number of officers and non-commissioned officers.