The Chief of Defense Staff, Admiral Giuseppe Cavo Dragone met with his counterparts: General Thierry Burkhard (France), General Carsten Breuer (Germany), General Joseph Aoun (Lebanon), Admiral Tony Radakin (United Kingdom ) and Admiral Teodoro López Calderón (Spain).
The theme of the round table, held in Rome at the Defense General Staff, was the ongoing crisis in the Middle Eastern area and the delicate role of the Lebanese Armed Forces, an essential strategic asset in the security dynamics of the area.
In particular, possible solutions were evaluated to support the development of the Lebanese Armed Forces, providing for a strengthening of forms of cooperation and possible coordinated military assistance projects.
The initiative aims to enable the Lebanese Armed Forces to improve its operational capabilities, including presence and surveillance activities in the south of the country, to reduce tensions, preventing further escalation of the crisis and to facilitate the full implementation of Resolution 1701 of the United Nations Security Council.
Italy is present in the region with approximately 1100 soldiers from the UNIFIL mission, in which a brigade-based contingent currently operates Taurinense of the Army, which has responsibility for the western sector of the Area of Operation and with the bilateral training mission (MIBIL), born from the need to increase the overall capabilities of the Lebanese Armed and Security Forces, with education and training programs specific.
