FROM OUR CORRESPONDENT
MALBORK (POLAND) AND ADASI (LATVIA) – In less than 10 minutes, the two pilots get from the canteen at Malbork base to the ready-to-take-off nacelles of their F35 fighters. The siren of the simulated alarm for the exercise echoes in the large hangar where the 150 Italian Air Force personnel have built the prefabricated structures necessary for logistics. Wearing flight uniforms, helmets and oxygen masks now requires automatic gestures, a short run on the runway, but then it takes longer to warm up the engines in an environment that has dropped well below zero in recent months, especially around the electronic devices to adapt. “It should not be forgotten that these fighters are equipped with very sophisticated systems and weapons and can reach speeds of around 2,000 kilometers per hour in a matter of seconds,” says Lieutenant Colonel Carmelo Frattaruolo, 52 years old from Bari, spokesman for the 32nd Wing Poland, consisting of selected elements of the Sixth Wing from Ghedi in the province of Brescia, and the 32nd Wing from Amendola near Foggia, with 4 aircraft available.
The commander of the contingent, Colonel Antonio Vergallo, born in Lecce 49 years ago, explains the importance of the mission after the military invasion of Ukraine, massively relaunched by Vladimir Putin on February 24, 2022. “Nearly two years of war have taught us the importance and importance of collective defense. “Our presence in Poland is a clear symbol of the deterrence in which Italy participates with the daily flights of our fighters, who can intervene at any time in accordance with NATO rules,” he explains as he receives us in his office. Words that confirm the importance of NATO's new role in the face of the clear objectives of imperial expansion demonstrated by Putin, which openly threaten the former Soviet satellites in Eastern Europe, from the Baltic sector to Moldova. In a relatively short period of time, NATO has moved from the deep existential crisis triggered by the chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan in August 2021 to the renewed raison d'être triggered by Russian aggression against Kiev.
And yet there is no shortage of problems, starting with the fear of Donald Trump's election victory, but above all due to the fact that the new common awareness of the centrality of NATO to the common Western defense does not at all coincide with the European decision Governments to increase the budget for the production of weapons and ammunition. Supplies have been depleted by aid sent to Ukraine and will take a long time to replace given a sharp increase in Russian war production. Senior Allied military sources tell us they are very concerned: the European General Staff is putting pressure on their respective governments to invest in this direction, but with “little if not zero” results.
From the windows of the Italian Command near the Malbork airstrips you can see the old bunkers built by the Soviet Union during the worst phases of the Cold War, long before the fall of the Berlin Wall and the associated transition of Poland to NATO -Front . In the nearby hangar, some Mig29s are still active and well maintained, testifying to this period. They correspond to the dozen that the Polish government recently donated to the Ukrainian Air Force.
“They were made by the Russians in the early 1980s and came to us in 1989. However, in recent years they have been modernized with new radars, radios and electronics according to NATO standards,” explains 48-year-old Lieutenant Colonel Mariusz Wiaczkowski. Who commands the entire base? In his opinion, there are three main lessons from the Ukraine war: “First: We must further develop the intelligence system.” Second: We must protect our bases better, in particular we need weapons against Russian drones and missiles. Third: It is necessary to increase the general state of alert and communication between NATO allies.” On this last point, the official is very clear. “Putin lost the war in Ukraine, he thought he could quickly conquer the whole country, but today he remains stuck on the sidelines. Russia has failed in its superpower ambitions. One can assume that he has no intention of attacking NATO. But Putin has also revealed aspects of serious irrationality and therefore every scenario remains open,” he adds.
His words accompany us 800 kilometers further north as we visit the Bersaglieri contingent of the Garibaldi Brigade, stationed at the large Latvian base of Adasi in the Baltic Sea plain, about forty kilometers from the center of Riga. Almost 300 men with over 150 vehicles, including around thirty Ariete, Dardo and Centauro tanks. Their shift began Dec. 18 and they will be replaced in six months. Latvia, together with Lithuania and Estonia, began requesting active NATO protection in 2014, immediately after Russian aggression in Donbass and Crimea. At the Warsaw Summit in July 2016, Italy became part of the “Task Group Baltic”, which is now under Canadian command. “The very cold temperatures require constant maintenance of the weapons and vehicles. “We have to work with special oils and have crampons to put on the tracks, because here the ice covers sandy ground, which in itself is problematic,” explain the mechanics. During exercises in the firing range, the soldiers walk through half a meter of snow. Snipers learn to camouflage themselves. A large part of the white camouflage cloth has not yet arrived and the department responsible for decontamination against chemical or nuclear weapons has to defrost the blocked pumps. “We are working to improve coordination with the Allied contingents,” recalls 42-year-old Colonel Pasquale Lanni. “We are prepared to operate in plus forty degrees in Baghdad and minus thirty degrees in Riga whenever it is a challenge.”