Italy has drawn up plans to expand its professional army by 40,000 soldiers and create a new military reserve, in a sweeping defence overhaul prompted by growing security fears across Europe.
The increase would lift the professional army to about 135,000 personnel by 2033, according to reports in the newspapers La Repubblica and La Stampa and the ANSA news agency. The plan was commissioned by Defence Minister Guido Crosetto and is still being finalised.
Italian forces would grow in stages between 2030 and 2033, the reports said, filling personnel gaps that have opened up over recent years. There was no immediate official comment.
The overhaul could be funded by a recently launched European Union programme to boost defence spending, which allows member states to borrow jointly for military investment. Rome has pushed for defence outlays to be exempted from the bloc’s deficit rules.
Alongside the troop increase, Crosetto has proposed a new voluntary reserve of up to 10,000 personnel. The auxiliary force would be deployed in wars, disasters and major crises, though never on the front line, and would not amount to a return to conscription, which Italy abolished in 2005.
The plans form part of a wider response to NATO’s decision in 2025 to raise its spending target to 5 per cent of gross domestic product (GDP). Italy currently spends about 2 per cent, among the lowest shares in the alliance.
Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has pledged to reach the 5 per cent goal by 2035, a commitment that is likely to face resistance at home from critics who argue the money would be better spent on healthcare and education.
Meloni’s right-wing Government has been one of Ukraine’s firmer backers in its war against Russia and the Prime Minister is regarded as one of US President Donald Trump’s preferred European partners.
The Italian move mirrors a broader rearmament drive across the continent. Germany is seeking 60,000 extra troops, while Poland has set a target of a further 300,000 regulars and reservists as governments brace for a prolonged Russian threat.
Crosetto has warned that Russia could be capable of threatening NATO territory within five years. The full defence reform had been due to be set out by the end of March.
