As we all know, mountain operations are considered to be some of the most challenging tasks, and it is now clear that being able to operate in this selective environment could create a number of new opportunities. This will only be possible through specific understanding, training, organization and equipment.

Today mountains are not only borders between different geographical areas and nations, and the traditional idea of mountain warfare connected to local forces dedicated to a specific environment is no longer valid.

Mountains cover 25% of the world’s land surface in different climatic regions, and 12% of the world’s population live in mountain regions.

Mountains represent a watershed and water supply for more than half of humanity for drinking, irrigation, industry, food, and energy production, and represent a rich area of natural resources.

Globalization has triggered a range of secondary processes, such as rapid urbanization and increasing migration, which have affected mountain regions significantly in both positive and negative ways.

For these reasons it is expected that mountains will gain a bigger strategic prominence in the coming years.

Integrating mountain warfare into NATO’s operations is a vital necessity in order to maintain the strategic advantage towards adversaries and competitors, by transforming – as I said before – the threats of an hazardous and often hostile environment characterized by isolation and harsh weather conditions into new opportunities.

I have followed with interest the several achievements of the last year, and was also actively involved in some of them.

Without mentioning them all, I just want to congratulate you on the finalization of the main project, the Mountain Warfare Capstone Concept. Last February HQ SACT and ACO signed the final version of the document and sent it to the MC for notation. This important action attested the importance given by the Alliance to this specific topic in a particular historic moment, in which the global situation shows that NATO’s ability to adapt and innovate is more crucial than ever.

After the demanding experience in Afghanistan, and in harmony with the NDPP principles – aimed to provide a framework in which the required forces and capabilities are ready in the most effective way – this document stresses the attention on new capabilities, and will surely impact the identification of new requirements.

Implementing education, training, research and experimentation in Mountain Warfare is now an imperative within the Alliance.

I also want to mention the importance of overcoming the COE’s Periodic Assessment last spring. This achievement confirms how the COE is an important contributor to the Alliance’s capabilities.

Thinking about the present and the future, we need to strengthen the linkage between the COEs, and we need their expertise to implement the newly approved Multi-Domain Operations Concept. The MDO involves the integrated use of capabilities across multiple domains, stresses the necessity of an active interaction between Instruments of Powers, and requires a deep understanding of effects and implications.

In this contest I am waiting to see your Programme of Work for 2024, recently approved by the Steering Committee, but I have already been informed that the MW COE is working in the right direction.

The study of a possible “Multi Domain Operation in mountainous environments” concept – currently under the attention of HQ SACT – is a clear example, as is the intention to develop new training solutions in line with the contents of the (NWCC) WDA “Multi Domain Warfighter and Leader Development” Line of Delivery.

With reference to the MDO Concept and the necessity for synchronizing the MIoP with external stakeholders, I know that the MW COE is already well connected with the industry (with which it is developing and testing equipment and materials), with civilian associations involved in mountain rescue, and with academia; in this regard I have read the publication produced after last year’s Congress on “Physical and Psychological Performance of Mountain Warfare Soldiers”, and I found it really interesting.

With regard to this Congress, I want to thank all those present (more than 100 attendees) for coming together to discuss and share expertise about this challenging issue. “Vertical Manoeuvre in Mountain Warfare” is clearly particularly important in an environment characterized by altitude, where superiority in mobility requires the application of specific movement techniques.

From a training perspective, it is vital to equip personnel involved in utilizing various Instruments of Power with the necessary knowledge, skills, and attributes to operate effectively in multi-domain environments.

This three-day meeting in the pleasant area of Brdo has surely offered you the opportunity to share different real life experiences of experts coming from different Nations, increasing your background and providing you with different points of view.

Thank you again for the opportunity to be with you; I hope to have the possibility of joining you on a future occasion.