From the Fall of the Berlin Wall: Italy’s Military Missions 1990–2001

Abstract

This chapter focuses on the MOA undertaken by the Italian armed forces in the 1990s. From the end of the Cold War to the beginning of the twenty-first century, Italian troops have been constantly engaged in MOA, deploying soldiers in a growing number of regional crises. Nowadays Italy is one of the most significant contributors to the UN peacekeeping operations.¹ As has been emphasized in previous chapters, Italy has promoted its international credibility through PSOs, assuming new responsibilities in the global scenario. The inactive and purely defensive approach of the bipolar era has been definitively altered. The end of the constraints caused by the Cold War and the overall reform of the military played a crucial role in the transformation process. For instance, conscription has been abolished, the overall size of the army has been reduced and many other organizational innovations have been introduced in recent years.²