If the eyes of Europe are riveted on the Italian statistics, it is because the peninsula was the first country on the continent most affected by the coronavirus, closely followed by Spain and France, according to statistics from the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) . Its health system, affected by ten years of lack of investment, found itself saturated from the first week of a sharp increase in contagions ( between March 7 and 11, the number of cases recorded doubled according to Ministry data of Health ), revealing a lack of staff, beds, intensive care units, as well as essential materials such as artificial respirators, masks, gloves and other forms of protection against the spread of the virus.
From the start of this crisis in Italy, the Italian Minister of Defense, Lorenzo Guerini, made personnel and equipment from the three armed forces available to support health efforts in the most affected areas in the north of the country. But it was especially from the start of confinement that an increase in the deployment of the Italian army took place. Coordinated by the Joint Operational Command (Comando Operativo di vertice Interforze - COI), the Army, Air Force and Navy are today pillars in Italy's fight against infection .
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