The Undersecretary of State for Defense Angelo Tofalo visited today, at the headquarters of Centocelle, the Operational Command of the Joint Forces (COI). To receive him the commander, the team admiral Giuseppe Cavo Dragone, who illustrated the mission, the structure and the operations in progress. There are about six thousand soldiers engaged abroad and seven thousand and two hundred those on the national territory.
Europe, Mediterranean, Middle East, Asia, Africa are the geographical areas where the main international operations take place.
During the visit the undersecretary Tofalo expressed words of appreciation "for the high professionalism and skills that are recognized to our soldiers in the international arena".
Particular attention has also been paid to operations on our territory, that of "defense of the national airspace", that of "safe roads" and that relating to "vigilance of fishing".
"With regard to Safe Roads, I intend to wear the equipment supplied to the military in the near future to try it out for myself and to hear what people think about it during the shifts", said Tofalo, "Only in this way can you make the best political decisions to improve the situation of our men ".
Planning, coordinating and conducting inter-force, multinational and national operations, directing and monitoring military interventions in the event of natural disasters, are the main tasks of the Interforze Summit Operational Command which, set up in the 1998, is the instrument by which the Chief of Staff of the Defense is able to exercise his function as operative commander of the Armed Forces. The Operative Room is the instrument for coordination and connection between major states, Operative Commands of the Armed Forces, UN Commands, NATO, EU and the Ministry of the Interior, Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Civil Protection and the Regions.
