‘The army who came in from the Cold’: the changes in Italian military culture from Lebanon to Somalia and Mozambique (1982-1994)

Every army carries a set of national characteristics that define the military culture, be it traditions, role models or commemorational days. The Italian army has struggled with negative memories of defeat and mediocre performances in two world wars. The Cold War inactivity with a defensive posture of a large conscript army did little to alter this and reform plans remained paper tigers. This paper will show how international peacekeeping missions brought a change to the Italian army. Operational experiences created new role models, lieux de mémoire and also improved the army’s image as a professional fighting force. At first, the army was not inclined to operate in Lebanon in 1982, but slowly this mission started a process towards more employability and a new mission culture developed in certain units - a trend that manifested itself in the following decades. Timeless soldierly values of a miles bellicus were rediscovered on the battlefield, accompanied by a political rhetoric of ‘soldiers for peace’, while old memories of the Second World War faded en lieu the more recent experiences. The paper will also look at the differences between the conscripts and the professional soldiers that Italy sent to these missions.