In a message published by Decode39 on the occasion of Italy’s Republic Day, Admiral Giuseppe Cavo Dragone, Chair of the NATO Military Committee, paid tribute to the Italian Armed Forces and to the bond connecting the military, democratic institutions and civil society. He highlighted Italy’s contributions across the Balkans, the Mediterranean and NATO’s eastern flank, noting that the country is deeply respected by its partners not only for what it does, but for the way it operates.

Yet one passage stands out as particularly significant because it goes well beyond the June 2 celebrations and offers a useful lens through which to understand the evolution of security in the twenty-first century. “Security is not built solely in military bases and headquarters,” Cavo Dragone writes. It is built in the daily life of a society that understands the risks it faces, trusts its institutions and knows how to respond when challenges arise. This is the principle NATO describes as a “whole-of-society approach”: the idea that national security depends not only on military capabilities, but on the overall resilience of a community.

Ukraine has arguably provided the clearest demonstration of this concept. When Russia launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022, many observers expected Kyiv to collapse........

© The Times of Israel (Blogs)