Milan, March 24 (LaPresse) – "We must rely on the United States, there is no defense and no Western deterrence without the U.S. We must be aware of this." This was stated by the Minister of Defense, Guido Crosetto, speaking on Radio24. "After the Cold War, Europe stopped investing in defense, something that the United States continued to do, and we benefited from their umbrella," he said. "I don't think the United States will abandon NATO, and I don't think they will abandon us," he added. "They will simply withdraw, and we have asked for time to build a replacement for the United States in Europe, which will take 5 to 10 years." "Under Biden, there was talk of a 20% reduction in military personnel. Perhaps under Trump, it could reach 40-50%," he continued. "Now we need to increase our military personnel," Crosetto added. "We cannot have a European army, but it will be the sum of the armies of all the countries that will cooperate together if needed," he emphasized.