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Italy Proposes 5,000-Member Hybrid Warfare Unit Amid Rising Security Threats
Italy’s Defence Minister Guido Crosetto has proposed creating a 5,000-person civilian-military unit to counter hybrid warfare threats, citing rising incidents across Europe and vulnerabilities in critical infrastructure. The proposal comes amid heightened concerns over disinformation, cyberattacks and foreign interference.
Italy urgently needs a new civilian–military unit of around 5,000 personnel to counter hybrid warfare threats, Defence Minister Guido Crosetto said in a strategic report published on Tuesday.
A recent surge in suspicious incidents across Europe has put governments on high alert, raising concerns about the region’s vulnerability to combined military and non-military activities linked to Russia.
“It is necessary to develop a predictable and adaptable capacity that can act quickly, using clear tools aimed at preventing, deterring and responding to hybrid attacks,” Crosetto wrote in the report.
He proposed that the new unit—designed to operate “24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year”—would initially employ 1,200 to 1,500 people, eventually expanding to 5,000.
Crosetto said Italy faces hybrid threats targeting critical sectors such as energy infrastructure and airports. He also called for the creation of a dedicated centre to tackle “disinformation and hostile activities in the cognitive domain.”
His paper was discussed on Monday during high-level defence talks hosted by President Sergio Mattarella, attended by Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and the Defence Chief of Staff, General Luciano Portolano.
Mattarella’s office said the discussions addressed “hybrid threats from Russia and other hostile foreign powers as a complex challenge for the security of Europe and Italy, as well as the integrity of democratic processes.”
Russia has denied involvement in recent incidents.
