ROME — Italy’s government has approved a sweeping defense bill that reshapes parts of the country’s military organization, strengthens its cyber architecture and expands tools to support defense innovation.
The draft law, approved by the Council of Ministers — the cabinet meeting chaired by Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni —, introduces broad changes to the Military Code but centers on three strategic pillars: reorganizing military intelligence, making cyber a core defense function, and strengthening research and technological development.
The big picture: The package reflects Rome’s effort to adapt Italy’s defense apparatus to an increasingly complex security environment.
- Alongside organizational reforms, the bill introduces new governance structures, dedicated funding and additional industrial tools aimed at strengthening national defense capabilities.
Military intelligence gets a new structure. Among the most significant changes is the overhaul of the Defense General Staff’s intelligence organization.
- The current Information and Security Department will become the Joint Cyber Intel Command, signaling a closer integration between military intelligence and cyber capabilities.
- The bill also creates a Joint Training Center for Combat and Countering Hybrid Threats, reporting directly to the Chief of Defense Staff. The new center is designed to develop joint operational capabilities for responding to hybrid threats that combine conventional, cyber and other non-traditional forms of conflict.
- More broadly, the legislation reinforces the joint structure of Italy’s armed forces through changes to the military chain of command and the role of the Chiefs Committee, which becomes the Defense Minister’s highest advisory body.
Cyber moves to the center of defense policy. Cybersecurity is one of the bill’s main priorities, with measures affecting both governance and personnel.
- The legislation formally defines a national cyberspace of interest for military defense and security, whose perimeter will be identified and updated by the Minister of Defense.
- It also designates the Chief of Defense Staff as the Defense Ministry’s cyber authority and assigns the office overall responsibility for the ministry’s data, while preserving the responsibilities of the Prime Minister, the Interior Ministry, Italy’s intelligence agencies, the National Cybersecurity Agency and the Central Secrecy Office.
- The bill also establishes a new military cyber specialist career path, including dedicated certification, financial incentives and service rules designed to retain highly qualified personnel.
- To support those efforts, the government will create a Cybersecurity Incentive Fund, initially funded at €1.574 million in 2027 and rising to €15 million annually from 2036.
Defense looks to technology and industry. The legislation also expands the Defense Ministry’s tools for supporting technological development and industrial cooperation.
- A new Military Scientific and Technological Research Investment Fund will receive an initial allocation of €10 million annually starting in 2026 to finance defense research and experimental development projects, including through non-repayable grants.
- The bill also introduces measures to speed up innovation by expanding the use of innovation partnerships and accelerating prototype development and acquisition procedures.
- Another notable provision strengthens the role of Difesa Servizi S.p.A., the ministry’s in-house company. Under the new rules, it will be allowed to establish companies or acquire stakes in businesses providing technical and administrative support related to its activities, giving the Defense Ministry greater flexibility to develop strategic industrial initiatives.
The bottom line: Taken together, the proposed reforms show Italy placing greater emphasis on capabilities that extend beyond conventional military modernization.
- By reshaping military intelligence, elevating cyber governance and investing in defense technology and innovation, Rome is seeking to strengthen its defense sector as part of a broader effort to enhance national security.
