Ernesto Burzagli as a model for Italian naval officers

Burzagli resigned as chief of staff when Italy proposed major fleet reductions. After becoming a senator, the admiral repeatedly opposed Mussolini's alignment with the Axis and entry into the Second World War. His standing was strong enough that even the Fascist regime treated him cautiously. His career also supplies a broader leadership lesson: a navy needs credible figures from within its own ranks whom later officers can emulate.