Chief of the Defence Staff (Italy)

Last updated
Chief of the Defence Staff
Capo di stato maggiore della difesa
Flag of the chief of staff of defence of Italy.svg
Flag of the Chief of the Defence Staff
Giuseppe Cavo Dragone 2022 (cropped).jpg
Incumbent
Admiral Giuseppe Cavo Dragone
since 19 October 2021
Ministry of Defence
Reports to Minister of Defence
NominatorMinister of Defence
Appointer President of Italy
in consultation with the Council of Ministers
Constituting instrumentDecree 66, articles 25, 26 & 27
Formation4 May 1925
First holder Pietro Badoglio
Website Official website

The Chief of the Defence Staff of Italy is the service head of the Italian Armed Forces.

Contents

The current Chief of the Defence staff is Admiral Giuseppe Cavo Dragone.

History

The post was established in 1925 as Chief of the General Staff (Capo di Stato Maggiore Generale). From 1941 until 1945, it was Capo del Comando Supremo . In 1947 it assumed its present name.

The Chief of the Defense staff, since 1998, to exercise his duties, uses two joint bodies:

List of chiefs of the defence staff

Kingdom of Italy (1925–1946)

No.PortraitChief of the General StaffTook officeLeft officeTime in officeDefence branch
1
Pietro Badoglio 3.jpg
Badoglio, Pietro Marshal of Italy
Pietro Badoglio
(1871–1956)
[lower-alpha 1]
4 May 19254 December 194015 years, 214 daysFlag of Italy (1860).svg  Royal Italian Army
2
Ugo Cavallero.jpg
Cavallero, UgoMarshal of Italy
Ugo Cavallero
(1880–1943)
[lower-alpha 2]
5 December 19401 February 19432 years, 58 daysFlag of Italy (1860).svg  Royal Italian Army
3
VittorioAmbrosio.jpg
Ambrosio, Vittorio General
Vittorio Ambrosio
(1879–1958)
[lower-alpha 3]
2 February 194318 November 1943289 daysFlag of Italy (1860).svg  Royal Italian Army
4
Giovanni Messe.jpg
Ambrosio, VittorioMarshal of Italy
Giovanni Messe
(1883–1968)
[lower-alpha 4]
19 November 19431 May 19451 year, 163 daysFlag of Italy (1860).svg  Royal Italian Army

Italian Republic (1945−present)

No.PortraitChief of the Defence StaffTook officeLeft officeTime in officeDefence branch
5
Claudio Trezzani.jpg
Trezzani, ClaudioGeneral
Claudio Trezzani
(1881–1955)
2 May 19451 December 19505 years, 213 daysFlag of Italy.svg  Italian Army
6
Luigi Efisio Marras.jpg
Efisio Marras, Luigi Lieutenant General
Luigi Efisio Marras
(1888–1991)
2 December 195015 April 19543 years, 134 daysFlag of Italy.svg  Italian Army
7
Giuseppe Mancinelli Difesa.jpg
Mancinelli, GiuseppeLieutenant General
Giuseppe Mancinelli
(1895–1976)
16 April 195431 March 19594 years, 349 daysFlag of Italy.svg  Italian Army
8
Aldo Rossi Difesa.jpg
Rossi, AldoLieutenant General
Aldo Rossi
(1898–1990)
1 April 195931 January 19666 years, 305 daysFlag of Italy.svg  Italian Army
9
Aldo Aloia Difesa.jpg
Aloia, AldoLieutenant General
Aldo Aloia
(1905–1980)
1 February 196624 February 19682 years, 23 daysFlag of Italy.svg  Italian Army
10
Guido Veldovato Difesa.jpg
Vedovato, GuidoLieutenant General
Guido Vedovato
(1906–2001)
25 February 196814 January 19701 year, 323 daysFlag of Italy.svg  Italian Army
11
Enzo Marchesi Difesa.jpg
Marchesi, EnzoLieutenant General
Enzo Marchesi
(1907–1996)
15 January 197031 July 19722 years, 198 daysFlag of Italy.svg  Italian Army
12
Eugenio Henke Difesa.jpg
Henke, Eugenio Vice Admiral
Eugenio Henke
(1909–1990)
1 August 197231 January 19752 years, 183 daysNaval Ensign of Italy.svg  Italian Navy
13
Andrea Viglione Difesa.jpg
Viglione, AndreaLieutenant General
Andrea Viglione
(1914–1992)
1 February 197531 January 19782 years, 364 daysFlag of Italy.svg  Italian Army
14
Francesco Cavalera Difesa.jpg
Cavalera, FrancescoLieutenant General
Francesco Cavalera
(1919–2013)
1 February 197831 January 19801 year, 364 daysFlag of Italy.svg  Italian Air Force
15
Giovanni Torrisi Difesa.jpg
Torrisi, GiovanniVice Admiral
Giovanni Torrisi
(1917–1992)
1 February 19802 September 19811 year, 213 daysNaval Ensign of Italy.svg  Italian Navy
16
Vittorio Santini Difesa.jpg
Santini, VittorioLieutenant General
Vittorio Santini
(1920–2012)
3 September 198112 October 19832 years, 39 daysFlag of Italy.svg  Italian Army
17
Lamberto Bartolucci Difesa.jpg
Bartolucci, LambertoLieutenant General
Lamberto Bartolucci
(1924–2020)
13 October 19838 January 19862 years, 88 daysFlag of Italy.svg  Italian Air Force
18
Riccardo Bisogniero.jpg
Bisogniero, RiccardoLieutenant General
Riccardo Bisogniero
(1923–2018)
9 January 198631 March 19882 years, 82 daysFlag of Italy.svg  Italian Army
19
Mario Porta Difesa.jpg
Porta, MarioVice Admiral
Mario Porta
(1925–2018)
1 April 198831 March 19901 year, 364 daysNaval Ensign of Italy.svg  Italian Navy
20
Domenico Corcione.jpg
Corcione, DomenicoLieutenant General
Domenico Corcione
(1929–2020)
1 April 199031 December 19933 years, 274 daysFlag of Italy.svg  Italian Army
21
Admiral Guido Venturoni (cropped).jpg
Venturoni, Guido Admiral
Guido Venturoni
(born 1934)
1 January 199414 February 19995 years, 44 daysNaval Ensign of Italy.svg  Italian Navy
22
Mario Aprino Difesa.jpg
Arpino, MarioGeneral
Mario Arpino
(born 1937)
15 February 199931 March 20012 years, 44 daysFlag of Italy.svg  Italian Air Force
23
Rolando Mosca Moschini cropped.jpg
Moschini, Rolando MoscaGeneral
Rolando Mosca Moschini
(born 1939)
1 April 20019 March 20042 years, 343 daysFlag of Italy.svg  Italian Army
24
Giampaolo Di Paola (cropped).jpg
Di Paola, GiampaoloAdmiral
Giampaolo Di Paola
(born 1944)
10 March 200411 February 20083 years, 338 daysNaval Ensign of Italy.svg  Italian Navy
25
Vincenzo Camporini (cropped).JPG
Camporini, VincenzoGeneral
Vincenzo Camporini
(born 1946)
12 February 200817 January 20112 years, 339 daysFlag of Italy.svg  Italian Air Force
26
Biagio Abrate.jpg
Abrate, BiagioGeneral
Biagio Abrate
(born 1949)
18 January 201130 January 20132 years, 12 daysFlag of Italy.svg  Italian Army
27
Luigi Binelli Mantelli crop.jpg
Binelli Mantelli, LuigiAdmiral
Luigi Binelli Mantelli
(born 1950)
31 January 201327 February 20152 years, 28 daysNaval Ensign of Italy.svg  Italian Navy
28
Claudio Graziano (cropped).JPG
Graziano, ClaudioGeneral
Claudio Graziano
(born 1953)
28 February 20155 November 20183 years, 250 daysFlag of Italy.svg  Italian Army
29
Lt Gen Enzo Vecciarelli, Chief of the Italian Air Force (cropped).jpg
Vecciarelli, EnzoGeneral
Enzo Vecciarelli
(born 1957)
6 November 201819 October 20212 years, 347 daysFlag of Italy.svg  Italian Air Force
30
Giuseppe Cavo Dragone 2022 (cropped).jpg
Cavo Dragone, GiuseppeAdmiral
Giuseppe Cavo Dragone
(born 1957)
19 October 2021Incumbent2 years, 88 daysNaval Ensign of Italy.svg  Italian Navy

See also

Notes

  1. Resigned due to setbacks in the Greco-Italian War.
  2. Dismissed due to setbacks in the North African campaign and on the Eastern Front.
  3. Served at the time of the fall of the Fascist regime and the Armistice of Cassibile.
  4. Chief of Staff of the Italian Co-belligerent Army.

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References