Ministry of National Defence (Kingdom of Italy)

The Ministry of National Defence (Italian: Ministero della Difesa Nazionale) is the Italian Government ministry responsible for matters of support to defence. The Ministry is in charge for all the military branches of the Italian State and, in some respects, also for Party Armed Corps.

Minister of National Defence

The Minister of National Defence is in charge of the military and civil administration of the defense of the nation and of the Empire. The Minister of National Defense is subordinated only to the Duce as the highest hierarchical and disciplinary body. The Minister of National Defence is the head of the Ministry and, as such, the hierarchical summit of its civilian personnel.
The Minister carries out the deliberations on matters of defense and security decided by the Duce, issues directives on military policy, on information and security activities and on technical-administrative activity, proposes to the Duce the general and operational joint planning , as well as the planning related to the industrial area, public and private, of interest to the Defence.
Furthermore, the Minister of National Defence presents to the Head of Government and the Duce the annual report on the state of military discipline and the state of organization of the Armed Forces. The Minister of National Defence, moreover, can suppress or reorganize, with his own decree, departments, institutions and military organizations.

Secretariat of the Minister

The Secretariat of the Minister ensures support for the Minister's tasks, coordinating the commitments by linking them with other directly collaborating offices. The Secretariat of the Minister is directed and coordinated by the head of the secretariat, which assists and assists the Minister in carrying out institutional activities and fulfills, on his mandate, specific tasks.

Head of Cabinet of the Minister of National Defence

The Head of Cabinet of the Minister of National Defence is a general officer, in the rank of Army Corps General, Squadron Admiral or Air Squadron General, who works with the Minister to carry out political-administrative functions and to take care of relations with the structures of the General Staffs, of the General Secretariat of Defence and of the other bodies and organisations of the Ministry.
The Head of Cabinet assists the Minister in relations with constitutional bodies and in other institutional activities of interest to the dicastery; he directs the activities of the staff offices, from which he is informed and updated on the most important issues.

Cabinet Office

The Cabinet Office assists the Head of Cabinet in the performance of his duties and also examines the documents for the purposes of forwarding to the Minister's signature. By decree of the Minister, on the proposal of the Head of Cabinet, two Deputy Heads of Cabinet are appointed as part of the Officers. The Cabinet Office is divided into distinct organizational areas that can be entrusted to the direction of the Deputy Heads of Cabinet. Within the Cabinet Office, the Minister's Adjuntant Officers, who answer directly to him.

• 1st Office "Military Personnel";
• 2nd Office "Armed Forces operational, training and technical-logistics activities";
• 3rd Office "Military policy";
• 4th Office "Ceremonial";
• 5th Office "Propaganda";
• 6th Office "Civilian Personnel".

Legislative office

The Legislative Office is in charge of the legislative and regulatory initiative in matters within the competence of the Ministry, with the collaboration of the competent offices of the Ministry. The Legislative Office is the body that deals with the legislative lobbying of the Armed Forces at the Council of Ministers and at the Parliament. The head of the Office works in conjunction with the Minister's Legal Adviser, if appointed.
The Head of the Legislative Office is a Brigadier General or equivalent, and employs two Deputy Office Heads, both Colonels (or equivalent). The Office is subdivided into 4 Departments:

• 1st Autonomous Section - General Affairs, protocol, archive and library - depends on the Head of the Legislative Office, is headed by a superior officer and employs three Teams:
  • 1st Team - is run by a non-commissioned officer of the role of Marshals of the Armed Forces and takes care of the antechamber activities at the Legislative Office Head and personal correspondence;
  • 2nd Team - is managed by a non-commissioned officer of the role of Marshals of the Armed Forces and handles the handling of files relating to personnel in service at the Legislative Office, auxiliary services, management of electronic mail processing and updating of data statistics and reports on the activity of the Legislative Office;
  • 3rd Team - is run by a non-commissioned officer of the role of Marshals of the Armed Forces and takes care of the following activities: archive services and protocol; collection and conservation of ministerial and presidential decrees; management of electronic mail including certified mail and library management.
• 2nd Autonomous Section - Appointments and supervised institutions: it is governed by a Lieutenant Colonel or equivalent and carries out the tasks of preliminary investigation and preparation of the deeds relating to the appointment of the heads of the offices of direct collaboration, of the directors and consultants of the Minister of Defense, of the heads of Defense and promotions of the top ranks of the Armed Forces, deals with the problems related to public bodies supervised by the Defense and handles reports from Defense representatives in other Administrations and bodies as well as appointments of Defense representatives in commissions, committees and collegiate bodies.
• 3rd Section - Parliamentary Acts: is governed by a Lieutenant Colonel or equivalent and carries out the tasks of monitoring the parliamentary activity of interest to the Defense, drafting the calendar of parliamentary work, collecting and classifying parliamentary acts, and official publications of the State and those of interest to the Office.
• 4th Section: - Preparation for the Council of Ministers and Agreements with the public administrations: it is governed by a Lieutenant Colonel or equivalent and prepares the deeds and provisions concerning the preliminary investigation for the Council of Ministers and the related preparatory meeting, the agreements with other public administrations, public bodies and private entities, as well as the monitoring of government activity, dealing with anti-corruption practices.
• 5th Section: - Performance, investee companies - is governed by a Lieutenant Colonel or equivalent and prepares deeds and provisions concerning performance and investee companies.
• 1st Department - Organisation, budget and military status: the 1st Department is governed by a Colonel or equivalent, and has jurisdiction in the organization of the Ministry of National Defence, in the definition of economic treatment, discipline and military status. He also deals with the budget law.
  • 6th Section - Economic treatment and financial affairs: is governed by a Lieutenant Colonel or equivalent and prepares the deeds and provisions regarding the economic treatment of military personnel and the formation and implementation of the budget law.
  • 7th Section: Military condition and discipline and Organization of the Ministry of Defense: it is governed by a Lieutenant Colonel or equivalent and prepares acts and provisions concerning the organization and organization of the Ministry, condition and military discipline.
• 2nd Department - Military personnel and use of the Forces: it is governed by a Colonel and has competence in the recruitment, legal status and advancement of military personnel, and in the use of national and international Forces. The Department employs two sections.
  • 8th Section: - Officers, use of the Forces and penal legislation: it is governed by a Lieutenant Colonel or equivalent and prepares acts and provisions concerning Officers, the use of Forces in national and international ambit, security legislation and military criminal legislation .
  • 9th Section: - Subofficers, graduates and troops - is governed by a Lieutenant Colonel or equivalent and prepares deeds and provisions concerning the recruitment, legal status and progress of NCOs, graduates and troops.
• 3rd Department - Social legislation, civil personnel: it is governed by a Colonel or equivalent and has competence in the systems of social protection, military justice and military penitentiary organization, compulsory military service and civil personnel, as well as health and military health service.
• 4th Department - International law, procurement, government, environment: it is governed by a Colonel and has competence in international law, in the ratification procedures of international agreements, including technical agreements and international cooperation programs, in military property and military easements, in the management of military assets, in the protection of the environment and cultural heritage. The Department also deals with procurement and public contracts.
  • 11th Section - State Property, Assets, Procurement: is governed by a Lieutenant Colonel or equivalent and prepares deeds and provisions concerning military property, military servitude and military asset management, procurement and public contracts and modernization and renewal programs.
  • 12th Section - Environment, Cultural Heritage - is governed by a Lieutenant Colonel or equivalent and prepares acts and provisions on international law, procedures for ratifying international agreements, technical agreements and programs for international cooperation, as well as for the environment and cultural heritage.

Office for Military Policy

The Office for Military Policy carries out support activities for the elaboration of military policy and for the determinations of competence of the Minister, also as regards the consequences on financial planning. The Office works in conjunction with the competent offices of the defense administration as regards the phase of detecting the problems to be faced, the drawing up of the directives and decisions of competence of the Minister and the verification of the effects of the determinations assumed by the Minister. The Office can promote specific scientific and cultural initiatives in the areas of its competence.
The Military Policy Office is composed exclusively of military personnel and, given that the Minister of National Defense is usually a high-ranking military officer on leave, is composed of members of the same faction, able to act as a real advisory body, in contrast to the Legislative Office, which is the lobbying organization of the Armed Forces as a whole.

External Propaganda Office

The External Propaganda Office handles relations with the system and national and international media, assists the Minister in the direction of public information and military propaganda activities. The office is headed by a military journalist.

Political-Military Commission of the Defence General Staff

The Political-Military Commission of the Defence General Staff (Italian: Commissione Politico-Militare dello Stato Maggiore Generale della Difesa) is a State-only organization, established in 2002, carrying out political education and supervision of the military personnel. The Political-Military Commission is managed by an high-ranking military figure (Lieutenant General or equivalent), personal representative of Duce Italo Debalti. Currently, the Political-Military Commissioner of the Defence General Staff is Army Corps General Carlo Umberto Casade of the Italian National Royal Army.
The S.M.G.D. Commission directly controls the higher echelons of the professional military. In every Armed Force or Corps there is the relevant Political-Military Commission, which is in charge of the political work in the top levels of the relevant Armed Force. The subordinate branches, called Political-Military Unit Offices (Uffici Politico-Militari di Reparto), are attached to the brigades, regiments and battalions.
Below the battalion level, political control is exercised by so-called Political Groups (Gruppi Politici), together with the local P.N.F. local sections and associations, as well as with the Arms and Corps Associations. These Groups, which function as cells of the P.N.F., are found in every company and platoon. Indoctrination is relatively relaxed and all O.V.R.A./P.N.F. organisations are strictly and severely prohibited from interfering with the regular chain of command and with military affairs.

Secretary-General of National Defence - National Armaments Director

The Secretary-General of National Defence (Italian: Segretario Generale della Difesa Nazionale) is a senior institutional figure of the Defence, framed in the Ministry of National Defence. He also holds the position of National Armaments Director (Direttore Nazionale degli Armamenti). The role of the Secretary-General of National Defence is that of provider of administrative and technical resources to the Armed Forces, with attention to research and development and to industrial support.
The Secretary-General is appointed by the Decree of the Duce, following the proposal of the Minister of National Defense, having heard the Chief of the General Staff of the National Defence.The Secretary-General is chosen from among the officers with the rank of General of the Army Corps or equivalent in permanent service, or among the leaders of the P.N.F. with previous military experience. The appointment of a P.N.F. leader is usually frowned upon, also because the Armed Forces hostility towards the M.V.S.N.

Domestic powers

The Secretary-General of National Defence issues the implementing provisions of the guidelines concerning the industrial and administrative area of ​​Defense, issued by the Minister of National Defense. The Secretary-General receives the operational directives from the Chief of the General Defence Staff, with reference to the activities of study and experimentation, procurement of materials and weapons systems and prepares, in agreement with the Chief of the General Defence Staff, the planning proposals relating to the military industry and to study and experimentation activities.
The Secretary-General also issues application directives for the legal, economic, disciplinary and social affairs of military and civilian personnel, has the General Managers of the Ministry under his charge and is responsible for the management, following the orders of the Minister, of their activities.
From the financial point of view, the Secretary-General provides, on the basis of the directives of the Chief of the General Defence Staff, to the operational use of the funds allocated to the investment for the realization of the programs of competence and provides for the operational use of the funds destined to the administrative and industrial operation.

External powers

The Secretary General of Defense participates in the high international fora relating to experimentation and development, representing, on the recommendation of the Minister of National Defense, the national address and exercises control over the implementation of memoranda of understanding and technical assistance agreements and logistics between the national and foreign Armed Forces, for legal and financial aspects. The Secretary General of Defense is responsible for the armaments policy regarding the production of defense materials and for this purpose prepares the technical-industrial consultative elements for the Minister. The Secretary follows and directs all acquisition programs abroad, or which in any case involve expenses abroad, as well as all co-production agreements or agreements of mutual interest with one or more countries and supervises foreign orders entrusted to the national industry.

Powers in the technical-scientific field

The Secretary General of Defense manages, in coordination with the Chief of Defense Staff, the technical-scientific documentation of the Defense, maintains contacts with the various national and international documentation centers and identifies, together with the Chief of the General Defence Staff, the pertinent technical-scientific documentation. Furthermore, the Secretary directs, directs and controls the research and development, scientific and technological research, procurement activities aimed at implementing the approved programs.

General Office of the Secretary General

The General Office performs the secretarial duties of the General Secretary, the correspondence management of the General Secretariat and the IT and general coordination protocol for the activities of the General Secretariat. The Office also carries out study and information activities, deals with legal affairs, general affairs and management control.
The Office also deals with the management of classified and confidential documentation, the application and control of the rules for the protection of secrecy and the activities related to information security within the General Secretariat. Furthermore, the Office deals with public information and external relations (following the propaganda guidelines of the External Propaganda Office).
The Head of the General Office, with the rank of Brigadier General or corresponding rank, has jurisdiction over the Secretary General's secretariat. In this context, it provides the Secretary General with the necessary support for the purposes of addressing, coordinating and controlling the activities of the General Management.
Four Services are incardinated in the General Office:

• Prevention and protection service
• Security service
• Public information service and external relations
• IT protocol service

General Office Administrative Responsibility Centre

The General Office Administrative Responsibility Centre operates through the coordination of the two Offices under its responsibility, responsible for financial planning and budgeting and for program coordination and financial administrative management of the budget.
The Head of the General Office, with the rank of Brigadier General or corresponding degrees, has competence in financial planning and budgeting, as well as general coordination of relations between the top-level programming bodies of the individual Armed Forces and Forces and the General Management, in relation to budget shares allocated to the Administrative Responsibility Center of the General Secretariat of Defense. The Head of the General Office, therefore, carries out a general coordination action on the relations between the Chief Programming Officers of the Armed Forces and the Joint Forces and the General Management, in relation to the budget shares assigned to the Administrative Responsibility Center, and sets the budget and follows its execution, as a programmer of the General Secretariat.

Special Administration Office

The Special Administration Office is a logistical-administrative body, supporting the Central Bodies of the Ministry of National Defence and the General Staff of the National Defence. The Special Administration Office is headed by a Colonel or equivalent, reporting to the Deputy Secretary General/Vice-D.N.A.
The Office is responsible for the payment of the duties and indemnities of the staff of the Office, of the personnel of the Military Attachés abroad and of the Missions Abroad for the members of the non-operating organs of the National Defence.
Furthermore, the Office is responsible for the procurement of goods and services for the Offices of the Cabinet of the Minister and of the Undersecretaries of State, of the General Secretariat of National Defence and of the Central Offices of the Ministry of National Defence and other central offices not having their own administrative centre.

General Staff of the Secretary-General of National Defence - National Armaments Director

The General Staff of the Secretary-General of National Defence - National Armaments Director is the central body tasked with coordinating and executing the activities of the General Secretariat of National Defence. It has six Departments:

• I Department - Personnel;
• II Department - Administrative coordination;
• III Department - Industrial policy and international relations;
• IV Department - Coordination of weapons programs;
• V Department - Technological innovation;
• VI Department - Litigation and legal affairs.

Directorates General

The Secretary-General of National Defence - National Armaments Director also controls nine Directorates General (four Technical Directorates and five Administrative Directorates):

• Directorate General for Military Personnel (PERSOMIL);
• Directorate General for Civil Personnel (PERSOCIV);
• Directorate-General for Military Welfare and Conscription (PREVIMIL);
• Directorate-General for Commissariat and General Services (COMMISERVICES);
• Directorate-General for Ground Armaments (TERRARM);
• Directorate-General for Naval Armaments (NAVARM);
• Directorate-General for Aero-space Armaments (ARMAEREOSPA);
• Directorate-General for Information Technology, Telematics and Advanced Technologies (TELEDIFE);
• Directorate General of Works and State Property (GENIODIFE).

Directorate-General for Military Personnel

The Directorate-General for Military Personnel (Italian: Direzione Generale per il Personale Militare, DGPERSOMIL) administers military personnel in recruitment and discipline, legal status and career progress, in financial affairs, rewards and honours, in economic treatment and about documentation. The Directorate-General is divided into 5 Departments (equivalent to other Ministries' Divisions) and 25 Offices. The Director-General is assisted by three Deputy Directors-General, ranking Brigadier General or equivalent.
The Directorate-General is considered among the most senstitive positions within the General Secretariat of National Defence, because it overtly deals with promotion, reward and punishment of officers and commanders. Anyone willing to build (or maintain) a powerbase within the Armed Forces must take the Directorate-General in general and the I Department (Officers) in particular into consideration.

• Director General:
  • Director General's Secretariat;
  • Central Office of the Director General;
  • Central Office of Legal Assitance;
  • Central Office for Administrative Coordination;
  • Central Office for Education and Training;
  • Central Office for Telematics;
  • Deputy Director General I;
  • Deputy Director General II;
  • Deputy Director General III;
• I Department - Officers:
  • Office I - Officers recruitment;
  • Office II - Legal status and career progress of Officers;
  • Office III - Economic treatment of Officers;
  • Office IV - Discipline.
• II Department - Subofficers:
  • Office V - Subofficers recruitment;
  • Office VI - Legal status and career progress of Subofficers;
  • Office VII - Economic treatment of Subofficers;
  • Office VIII - Discipline.
• III Department - Troops
  • Office IX - Troops recruitment;
  • Office X - Legal status and career progress of Troops;
  • Office XI - Economic treatment of Troops;
  • Office XII - Discipline.
• IV Department - Budget and financial affairs, debt recovery, benefits, rewards and honours:
  • Office XIII - Budget and financial affairs;
  • Office XIV - Debts collection;
  • Office XV - Welfare;
  • Office XVI - Awards and honours;
• V Department - Documentation:
  • Office XVII - Army Documentation;
  • Office XVIII - Navy Documentation;
  • Office XIX - Air Force Documentation;
  • Office XX - Royal Carabinieri Documentation.

Director-General

The Directorate General for Military Personnel is governed by a general officer of a rank not less than general of division or equivalent. The Director-General directs, coordinates and controls the activities of the Directorate General, which he represents in external relations with the central, territorial and peripheral Defense organizations and with the other Public Administrations.

Deputy Directors-General

The Director-General is assisted by three Deputy Directors-General, of rank no less than general of brigade or equivalent, belonging to an Armed Force other than that of the Director-General. The most senior Deputy Director-General replaces the general manager in case of absence or impediment and performs his duties in the event of vacancy.

Central Office of the Director General

The Central Office of the Director General, led by a Colonel or equivalent, carries out the handling of files relating to the personnel in service at the Directorate General, prepares reports n the activities of the Directorate General and studies for the improvement of the organization. The Office deals with the management and custody of classified documents, and handles the reception, sorting and forwarding of correspondence, and the management of the IT protocol and of the documentation flow, disengages the billing services and the related administrative duties. The Office also carries out certification activities, internal management control and deals with relations with the public.

Central Office of Legal Assitance

The Central Office of Legal Assitance carries out collaboration activities, consultancy and assistance to the General Manager in dealing with particularly important issues, with particular regard to studies aimed at improving work organization, verifying the effectiveness and efficiency of the internal processes, and updating the order structure of the General Management.

Central Office for Administrative Coordination

The Central Office for Administrative Coordination carries out activities aimed at giving unity of direction to the legal and litigation functions, it deals with the legislative proposal, carries out research and study on the production of legislation of interest and prepares circulars, directives and information.

Directorate-General for Civilian Personnel

The Directorate General for Civilian Personnel (Italian: Direzione Generale per il Personale Civile, DGPERSOCIV) takes care of recruitment, legal status, employment, mobility, training, changes in state positions, discipline, characteristic and registration documentation, benefits, economic and social security civil defense personnel, military magistrates, as well as the labor dispute of civil defense employees and civil health facilities subsidiary to the Armed Forces.
The Directorate-General is governed by a Director General of the Ministry of National Defence, assisted by an Ispector General (civilian) and a Brigadier General (or equivalent).

Military Commission for Disciplinary Inspection

The Military Commission for Disciplinary Inspection (Commissione Militare per l'Ispezione Disciplinare, CO.MIL.I.D.) is the top anti-corruption disciplinary organ of the Ministry of National Defence. It is, alongside the Military Police and the Military Justice, the self-preservation tool of the Italian military. The CO.MIL.I.D. has "dual responsibility" to the Minister of National Defence and the Military Police Command; due to the nature of its operations, the CO.MIL.I.D. also has close links with the Royal Guard of Finance. Usually, once the CO.MIL.I.D. completes an investigation, the case is handed onto military prosecution authorities or to a court martial.

Jurisdiction

The jurisdiction of the Military Commission for Disciplinary Inspection has the CO.MIL.I.D. responsible for cases involving breaches of military and party discipline and state law by members of military corps. The CO.MIL.I.D. lacks judicial authority and is limited to investigating allegations of corruption and severe breaches of party discipline. Since the CO.MIL.I.D. does not have the power to prosecute, it transfers cases (after investigation) to the relevant prosecutor or examining judge and/or to the appropriate P.N.F. disciplinary body.
The CO.MIL.I.D.'s responsibilities deal with favouritism, heterodoxy (such as bourgeois spiritual pollution, leftism), privilege seeking, nepotism and use of Party authority to advance their families, friends and relatives, hoarding, petty corruption, fraud, embezzlement, theft, smuggling, bribery, illegal acquisition of and dealing in foreign exchange and wasting and squandering public funds.

Organization

The membership of the CO.MIL.I.D. is selected by the National Defence Commission on proposal of the Minister of National Defence. The head of the CO.MIL.I.D. is an Army Corps General (or equivalent), whose formal title is President of the Military Commission for Disciplinary Inspection. The CO.MIL.I.D. has nine Offices:

• Office I - General Affairs;
• Office II - Personnel;
• Office III - Studies and Research;
• Office IV - Legislation;
• Office V - Complaints;
• Office VI - Perliminary hearing;
• Office VII - Supervision;
• Office VIII - Cooperation;
• Office IX - International cooperation;

See also

• Military of the Kingdom of Italy
• Government of the Kingdom of Italy