Spotlight: Defence & Security
Multi-domain Operations challenges and capacity implications for the Italian Army
Multi-domain Operations challenges and capacity implications for the Italian Army
Defence & Security
The project aims to support the Italian Army in its process of reflection on the main technological challenges of the future, developing also the modernization process of its capabilities, in the context of the development of the doctrine of Multi-Domain Operations at NATO level.

The development of new technologies due to the advent of the digital age has led to a change in the way in which military operations are conducted, resulting in the emergence of new operational domains, such as cyber and space, which have joined the traditional ones (land, sea, air). At the military level, this is reflected in an increasingly contested, complex and lethal operational environment, characterized by the emergence of new threats and challenges and a return to competition between near-peer or peer-to-peer actors. This process in turn entails a doctrinal change, already underway in the United States and gradually embraced by all NATO Member States, which sees Multi-Domain Operations (MDO) at the heart of the conduct of future military operations.

In the context of the evolution of the reference scenarios, the project aims at understanding and analyzing the doctrinal, operational and technological implications for the Italian Army of the development of Multi-Domain Operations. The initiative, implemented in collaboration with the Italian Army General Staff, is structured along two lines. The first one foresees the organization of a series of workshops and round tables, in order to stimulate the debate and involve relevant stakeholders and experts in the discussion. The second one consists of the drafting of a report that, starting from the analysis of the evolution of the geopolitical, doctrinal and technological contexts, and reflecting on the issues discussed in the workshops, highlights the implications for the Italian Army in terms of development of the concept of Multi-Domain Operations (MDO) with a post-2035 time horizon.