Operation Gladio
OSINT Military Analysis: Operation Gladio – NATO's Secret Army 1. Executive Summary Operation Gladio (from Latin gladius – "sword") was the codename for a clandestine NATO "stay-behind" operation in Italy, but the term has become the informal name for a network of secret anti-communist armies set up across all of Western Europe after World War II. Initiated by the CIA and MI6 and later coordinated by NATO, its stated purpose was to organize guerrilla resistance and sabotage in the event of a Warsaw Pact invasion or a communist takeover of a European country. However, the existence of these clandestine armies was revealed to the public only in 1990 by Italian Prime Minister Giulio Andreotti. The subsequent scandal led to accusations that Gladio had been tragically linked to right-wing terrorism, false-flag operations, and a "strategy of tension" designed to manipulate public opinion, discredit left-wing parties, and prevent the Italian Communist Party ...