The Chief of Staff of the Army, General of the Army Corps Carmine Masiello, visited the “Vittorio Veneto” division. Welcomed by the commander, General of the Division Massimiliano Quarto, the top authority received a detailed update on the progress of the project multinational division south (MND-S) and on the preparation of the division command as land component command ofAllied Reaction Force (ARF LCC), effective July 1, 2025.
Subsequently, Gen. Masiello met the personnel of the division and the 78th command and logistic support unit "Lupi di Toscana", addressing them a short speech: “You have measured yourselves against NATO standards, arousing everyone's pride in the results achieved. You are further confirmation of the incessant and qualified commitment that animates the Army, in full continuity with our values. Keep going like this”.
The “Vittorio Veneto” has recently successfully completed the NATO exercise “Steadfast Dagger 2024”, which concluded the long process of combat readiness assessment connected both to the role in the ARF and to its transformation into MND-S. The activities for the division are not finished, however, since the first half of 2025 will see it engaged both in a series of training sessions aimed at deploying the command post in different configurations and conditions that will culminate with the exercise “Golden Lion 2025”, and in the exercise “Steadfasft Cobalt 25”, a crucial step for the configuration of the communication and information system architectures. A demanding semester from a training point of view but fundamental for the future of the division, emphasized by the upcoming activation as a NATO command and by the achievement of the full mission capability (FMC).
In the morning, the Chief of the General Staff had also visited the Institute of Aeronautical Military Sciences in Florence on the occasion of the conference “STEM disciplines in Defense: enabling skills to manage complexity”. This 2nd National Week of STEM Disciplines (Scientific, technological, engineering and mathematical), organized and promoted by the Undersecretary of State for Defense, Senator Isabella Rauti, aims to promote scientific and technological culture among young people and represents a significant step towards strengthening scientific skills in the Defense sector and a common commitment to address the challenges of the future.
During his stay in Florence, Lieutenant General Masiello also met with Dr. Francesca Ferrandino, Prefect of Florence, to discuss relevant issues regarding territorial security and the synergy between local institutions and the Italian Army. This meeting offered the opportunity to strengthen the ties between the civil and military communities, addressing together the shared challenges in the field of security and innovation.
