Operation Gladio: NATO’s Secret Armies in the Shadows of Europe

Operation Gladio was a covert NATO-backed program during the Cold War that established secret "stay-behind" armies across Western Europe. The plan? If the Soviet Union invaded, these clandestine cells would wage guerrilla warfare behind enemy lines.

But Gladio wasn’t just about defense.

As details emerged in the 1990s, accusations surfaced that some of these secret networks were involved in false flag attacks, political manipulation, and domestic terrorism—all in the name of fighting communism. In countries like Italy, Belgium, and Turkey, Gladio has been linked to bombings, assassinations, and a broader "strategy of tension" designed to sway public opinion and suppress leftist movements.

Italian Prime Minister Giulio Andreotti officially acknowledged the existence of Gladio in 1990, shocking the public and fueling decades of debate about the true extent of the operation and its consequences for democracy in Europe.

Gladio remains one of the most controversial and shadowy Cold War programs—a real-life spy thriller that blurred the line between defense and destabilization.