Finance
Italy defence minister urges arms industry to speed up production
Published by Global Banking & Finance Review®
Posted on March 7, 2026
2 min readLast updated: March 7, 2026
Global Banking & Finance Review®
Company
Published by Global Banking & Finance Review®
Posted on March 7, 2026
2 min readLast updated: March 7, 2026
On March 7, Italy’s Defence Minister Guido Crosetto convened a 130‑participant emergency videoconference urging defence firms to rapidly ramp up production—especially air‑defence—by trimming red tape amid escalating Middle East tensions.
ROME, March 7 (Reuters) - Italy's defence minister has urged the country's defence industry to accelerate production to help bolster national security, citing a rapidly deteriorating international environment, particularly in the Middle East.
In a statement, Guido Crosetto said on Saturday he had convened an emergency videoconference with Italy's Chief of Defence Staff General Luciano Portolano and representatives of the domestic defence industry.
* Around 130 people took part in the meeting.
* Crosetto asked companies to identify all available operational capabilities, programmes close to completion, and any initiatives that could help strengthen Italy's defences "in the shortest possible time", with a particular focus on air defence.
* "It is essential to reduce to a minimum the obstacles and bureaucratic procedures that are increasingly incompatible with needs that cannot wait," the minister added.
* Italy needs its defence ecosystem to operate "in close synergy and with speed" as the international situation could escalate further, with potentially serious geopolitical and economic consequences for the country, he said.
(Reporting by Giselda Vagnoni; Editing by Jan Harvey)
He cited a rapidly deteriorating international environment, especially in the Middle East, and the need to bolster Italy's national security.
Italy's Chief of Defence Staff General Luciano Portolano and 130 representatives of the domestic defence industry took part.
The minister emphasized a particular focus on air defence and accelerating programs close to completion.
He stressed reducing bureaucratic procedures that are incompatible with urgent national security needs.
The minister warned the situation could escalate, with serious geopolitical and economic consequences for the country.
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