Nato’s war in Ukraine involves increasing military spending. According to official data, Italian military spending has risen from 21 billion euros in 2019 to over 30 billion in 2023, equivalent to an annual daily average of over 80 million euros, in public money subtracted from social spending. Under its NATO commitment, Italy will have to increase this expenditure to around 100 million euros a day. Since 2014, military spending in the Nato part of Europe has risen dizzyingly, exceeding the level of the last phase of the Cold War.

Nato Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg points out: "The Allies are providing Ukraine with unprecedented military and financial aid. France will soon be sending more Caesar howitzers, and several Allies have signed up to the Czech Republic’s initiative to provide a further 800,000 rounds of artillery ammunition".

Italy, which has also already supplied Kiev with heavy artillery, is participating in the acquisition of these 800,000 other projectiles, with public money paid for by us, its citizens.

A further cost overrun derives from the fact that Italy co-shares in the expenses of US-NATO bases, which, from Italian territory, play fundamental roles in supporting war operations, from the Ukraine to the Middle East. Of particular importance is the role played by Camp Darby, the largest US arsenal outside US territory. These days, new and more powerful armoured vehicles are arriving from the USA at this base, located between Pisa and Livorno, to be sent from Camp Darby via the port of Livorno to the Ukraine.

The Camp Darby, Sigonella and other bases on Italian territory also support warlike operations in the Middle East, where the USA continues to arm Israel under an agreement stipulated by President Barack Obama and his Vice-President Joe Biden to supply Israel with $38 billion worth of weapons, including the bombs with which Israel is exterminating the Palestinians in Gaza.

Manlio Dinucci
Translation
Roger Lagassé