SHIELD
SHIELD is the research and strategic training center of SDA Bocconi School of Management, dedicated to national security, interinstitutional leadership, and systemic resilience.
Target
The center was established through the synergy between academia, institutions, and industry, under the patronage of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation and with the collaboration of the Ministry of Defense.
Changes in the geopolitical landscape that require greater investment in security, rapid technological developments in the military and dual-use domains with a dramatic shortening of innovation time to market, and the emergence of hybrid forms of confrontation with third countries all call for the development of strategic thinking capacity. This means the intellectual ability to define realistic objectives, align ends and means with appropriate leadership, anticipate adversaries, and adapt to uncertainty.
SHIELD’s mission is therefore to develop advanced models of analysis and intervention in complex contexts, in line with the geopolitical, technological, and organizational transformations affecting the national system.
Actitivies
In particular, SHIELD aims to:
Strengthen the state’s strategic capacity
Enhance strategic, analytical, and decision-making capabilities through advanced training and research activities in the strategic and geopolitical fields. SHIELD seeks to develop skills that enable the interpretation of complex environments, the anticipation of threats, and the training of leadership groups capable of adapting to uncertainty and guiding decision-making processes in hybrid and multilevel scenarios.
Promote leadership and interministerial and industrial coordination
Encourage integration among national institutions through stronger interministerial coordination, extending structured dialogue to major industrial players operating in the security sector. The goal is to build an ecosystem in which public and private actors cooperate on a stable basis around national priorities for security and innovation.
Enable national industry and develop relevant industrial value chains
Support companies’ ability to engage more effectively with security policies by contributing to the development of dual-use technologies, operational frameworks, and data governance models. This includes promoting supply chain integration and technology transfer to small and medium-sized enterprises, in order to ensure resilience, innovation capacity, and reduced external dependencies in critical sectors.
Build a new integrated culture of security, including at the international level
Promote a national and European culture of security focused on strategic autonomy, the resilience of critical infrastructures, and public-private integration, positioning SHIELD as one of the reference actors within multilateral cooperation networks on security issues (EU, NATO, G7).
Output
- 2025
European Defense Spending Trilemma
Security, affordability and domestic popularity: the case of Italy
Andrea Gilli, A. Walter Rauti
- 2026
From Defense to Protection: Rethinking National Security in the Age of Hybrid Threats
A. Walter Rauti
- 2026
The 2025 US National Security Strategy and the Strategic Repositioning of Europe
Carlo Altomonte, A. Walter Rauti
Media
- 28 NOV 2025Modern defense as a network of protectionIn the 21st century, security is no longer a budget item but a strategic asset that strengthens confidence in the country’s overall system. (In Italian)
- 19 JAN 2026The SHIELD hub inaugurated at BocconiA hub that integrates economics, defense, and geopolitics – the first in Europe. It is SHIELD, the center for strategic research and education of SDA Bocconi School of Management. (In Italian)
- 19 JAN 2026SDA Bocconi launches SHIELD, the first European hub on defense, economics, and geopoliticsSHIELD is the center for strategic research and education of SDA Bocconi School of Management, dedicated to national security, interinstitutional leadership, and systemic resilience. (In Italian)
- 19 JAN 2026Meeting on defense and securityIt is called SHIELD, and it is the new SDA Bocconi research center dedicated to the interconnections between defense, security, and economics. (In Italian)
- 19 JAN 2026SDA Bocconi launches SHIELD, the first hub between security and resilienceIt integrates defense, economics, and geopolitics. (In Italian)
- 2 FEB 2026Trump’s security strategy, the Bocconi perspective: “An opportunity for the EU to rearm”In the first Italian study on the National Security Strategy of the American administration, two economists explain that U.S. isolationism can be an opportunity for Europe. How? By increasing funding for Defense in order to protect itself. (in italian)
- 3 FEB 2026Altomonte: “The Union must not focus everything on exports, it should invest more in Defense and security”The Bocconi economist reflects on Draghi’s speech in Leuven and warns: “The United States is formally giving up the global role it once had. Now is the time for strategic choices for the EU.” (In Italian)
Recommended readings
- Ethan IlzetzkiGuns and Growth: The Economic Consequences of Defense Buildups, Kiel Report
- GoviniNumbers Matter: Defense Acquisition, U.S. Production Capacity, and Deterring China.
- Efraim Benmelech, Joao MonteiroMilitary Spending and War, NBER Working Paper 34123We revisit the theory of critical deterrence—the idea that military spending may reduce the risk of conflict by increasing its expected costs.
- Efraim Benmelech, Joao MonteiroThe Economic Consequences of War, NBER Working Paper 34389This paper provides systematic evidence on the macroeconomic consequences of war using a new dataset covering 115 conflicts and 145 countries over the past 75 years. We document three main findings.
