Mussolini accumulated the secretaryships for the army, navy, and air force. On paper, concentrating the portfolios gave the services a single political mouthpiece and appeared to combine their direction. In practice, Italy still lacked a professional chief of staff with authority to command and coordinate all three. The services therefore did not automatically work together simply because one politician held their ministerial posts. The distinction separates centralised political control from functioning joint command.
Notable Point · 1:18:59-1:19:42
Mussolini combined service ministries without creating joint command
Holding the army, navy, and air portfolios made Mussolini their political mouthpiece, but no professional chief existed to coordinate all three services.