Chief of the Defence Staff (Italy)

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

Chief of the Defence Staff
Capo di stato maggiore della difesa
Flag of the Chief of the Defence Staff
Incumbent General Luciano Portolano since 4 October 2024
Ministry of Defence
Reports to	Minister of Defence
Nominator	Minister of Defence
Appointer	President of Italy in consultation with the Council of Ministers
Constituting instrument	Decree 66, articles 25, 26 & 27
Formation	4 May 1925
First holder	Pietro Badoglio
Website	Official website

The current Chief of the Defence staff is General Luciano Portolano.

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:

• Stato maggiore della Difesa (Defense Staff)
• Comando operativo di vertice interforze (Joint-top operational command)

List of chiefs of the defence staff

Kingdom of Italy (1925–1946)

No.	Portrait	Chief of the General Staff	Took office	Left office	Time in office	Defence branch
1		Badoglio, PietroMarshal of Italy Pietro Badoglio (1871–1956) [a]	4 May 1925	4 December 1940	15 years, 214 days	Royal Italian Army
2		Cavallero, UgoMarshal of Italy Ugo Cavallero (1880–1943) [b]	5 December 1940	1 February 1943	2 years, 58 days	Royal Italian Army
3		Ambrosio, VittorioGeneral Vittorio Ambrosio (1879–1958) [c]	2 February 1943	18 November 1943	289 days	Royal Italian Army
4		Ambrosio, VittorioMarshal of Italy Giovanni Messe (1883–1968) [d]	19 November 1943	1 May 1945	1 year, 163 days	Royal Italian Army

Italian Republic (1945−present)

No.	Portrait	Chief of the Defence Staff	Took office	Left office	Time in office	Defence branch
5		Trezzani, ClaudioGeneral Claudio Trezzani (1881–1955)	2 May 1945	1 December 1950	5 years, 213 days	Italian Army
6		Efisio Marras, LuigiLieutenant General Luigi Efisio Marras (1888–1991)	2 December 1950	15 April 1954	3 years, 134 days	Italian Army
7		Mancinelli, GiuseppeLieutenant General Giuseppe Mancinelli (1895–1976)	16 April 1954	31 March 1959	4 years, 349 days	Italian Army
8		Rossi, AldoLieutenant General Aldo Rossi (1898–1990)	1 April 1959	31 January 1966	6 years, 305 days	Italian Army
9		Aloia, AldoLieutenant General Aldo Aloia (1905–1980)	1 February 1966	24 February 1968	2 years, 23 days	Italian Army
10		Vedovato, GuidoLieutenant General Guido Vedovato (1906–2001)	25 February 1968	14 January 1970	1 year, 323 days	Italian Army
11		Marchesi, EnzoLieutenant General Enzo Marchesi (1907–1996)	15 January 1970	31 July 1972	2 years, 198 days	Italian Army
12		Henke, EugenioVice Admiral Eugenio Henke (1909–1990)	1 August 1972	31 January 1975	2 years, 183 days	Italian Navy
13		Viglione, AndreaLieutenant General Andrea Viglione (1914–1992)	1 February 1975	31 January 1978	2 years, 364 days	Italian Army
14		Cavalera, FrancescoLieutenant General Francesco Cavalera (1919–2013)	1 February 1978	31 January 1980	1 year, 364 days	Italian Air Force
15		Torrisi, GiovanniVice Admiral Giovanni Torrisi (1917–1992)	1 February 1980	2 September 1981	1 year, 213 days	Italian Navy
16		Santini, VittorioLieutenant General Vittorio Santini (1920–2012)	3 September 1981	12 October 1983	2 years, 39 days	Italian Army
17		Bartolucci, LambertoLieutenant General Lamberto Bartolucci (1924–2020)	13 October 1983	8 January 1986	2 years, 88 days	Italian Air Force
18		Bisogniero, RiccardoLieutenant General Riccardo Bisogniero (1923–2018)	9 January 1986	31 March 1988	2 years, 82 days	Italian Army
19		Porta, MarioVice Admiral Mario Porta (1925–2018)	1 April 1988	31 March 1990	1 year, 364 days	Italian Navy
20		Corcione, DomenicoLieutenant General Domenico Corcione (1929–2020)	1 April 1990	31 December 1993	3 years, 274 days	Italian Army
21		Venturoni, GuidoAdmiral Guido Venturoni (born 1934)	1 January 1994	14 February 1999	5 years, 44 days	Italian Navy
22		Arpino, MarioGeneral Mario Arpino (born 1937)	15 February 1999	31 March 2001	2 years, 44 days	Italian Air Force
23		Moschini, Rolando MoscaGeneral Rolando Mosca Moschini (born 1939)	1 April 2001	9 March 2004	2 years, 343 days	Italian Army
24		Di Paola, GiampaoloAdmiral Giampaolo Di Paola (born 1944)	10 March 2004	11 February 2008	3 years, 338 days	Italian Navy
25		Camporini, VincenzoGeneral Vincenzo Camporini (born 1946)	12 February 2008	17 January 2011	2 years, 339 days	Italian Air Force
26		Abrate, BiagioGeneral Biagio Abrate (born 1949)	18 January 2011	30 January 2013	2 years, 12 days	Italian Army
27		Binelli Mantelli, LuigiAdmiral Luigi Binelli Mantelli (born 1950)	31 January 2013	27 February 2015	2 years, 28 days	Italian Navy
28		Graziano, ClaudioGeneral Claudio Graziano (1953–2024)	28 February 2015	5 November 2018	3 years, 250 days	Italian Army
29		Vecciarelli, EnzoGeneral Enzo Vecciarelli (born 1957)	6 November 2018	18 October 2021	2 years, 347 days	Italian Air Force
30		Cavo Dragone, GiuseppeAdmiral Giuseppe Cavo Dragone (born 1957)	19 October 2021	3 October 2024	2 years, 351 days	Italian Navy
31		Portolano, LucianoGeneral Luciano Portolano (born 1960)	4 October 2024	Incumbent	335 days	Italian Army

See also

• Italian Armed Forces
• Royal Italian Army
• Italian Army
  • Chief of Staff of the Italian Army

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.