Ministero della Difesa

President of the Republic Sergio Mattarella and Defence Minister Lorenzo Guerini extended their greetings to all the military engaged in out-of-area theatres of operations during a videoconference held at Rome Joint Operations Command (COI). This year, for the first time, the military engaged in Italy in counter-COVID-19 activities and Operation Safe Roads took part in the videoconference from Perugia field hospital, some Defence Drive-Through points - part of Operation Igea- and nursing homes.

Chief of Defence Staff Gen. Enzo Vecciarelli and Commander Joint Operations Command Gen. Luciano Portolano also took part in the videoconference, in the presence of the Chiefs of the Army, Navy and Air Force, the Commander General of the Carabinieri and Commander General of the Customs Police and the Defence Secretary General.

Defence Minister Lorenzo Guerini said: “We are approaching the end of a challenging year for the country and the Defence. Undoubtedly, this has been a dramatic year due to the pandemic crisis that saw the military work at 360 degrees in Italy and abroad to continue to win the trust that the Italian citizens and International Community show us every day”.

The conference was an opportunity to convey the closeness of the Head of State and Institutions to the military who operate far from their homes, and to recall the different sectors in which the Defence operates. Minister Guerini, referring to operations conducted in the national territory,said: “The Defence is proving to be extremely reliable, as witnessed by Operation Safe Roads and Operation Igea, in support of the National Health System. In this spirit, the Defence has already prepared operation EOS plan, and is thus ready to support the vaccine distribution and administration phase”.

Then, Guerini reiterated that Italy will continue to play a major role in crisis response operations through a balanced engagement of all the components of the Armed Forces.

“ Especially at this time of high instability and sudden geopolitical changes, the international missions’ season requires that we continuously renew our engagement, in the wake of continuity of intents with what we have done over the last few years”.

The national engagement for Libya’s - and, more in general, the Sahel- stabilization is of fundamental importance. The same is true for NATO operations in the Western Balkans, especially Kosovo, and the Enlarged Mediterranean area -which, for our country, became the center of gravity of very strong strategic interests- as well as Afghanistan.

Italian contingents connected with the Joint Operations Command included those deployed in Afghanistan, United Arab Emirates, Iraq, Kuwait, Lebanon, Somalia, Egypt, Libya, Kosovo, Lithuania, Latvia, Niger, Albania and the crews onboard NSs Doria, Vega and CigalaFugosi, currently operating in the Mediterranean Sea.

Italy is engaged in 39 missions, including 36 international ones, in 24 countries.

During the videoconference, Commander COI explained that, upon request of the Special Commissioner for the COVID-19 emergency Domenico Arcuri, the Defence will be heavily engaged in the implementation of the national vaccine plan. “During a first phase the vaccine sent to Italy will be stored at Spallanzani hospital and the Defence will deal with its distribution and administration at 21 national sites”.