SOLBIATE OLONA (VA) 26 MARCH 2003. Major General Luigi PELLEGRINO took over the post on March 20, 2003.
Before assuming the position, he was the Commander of the Italian Army Signal School in Rome. His predecessor, Brig Gen Gian Marco CHIARINI, left the Staff of the NATO Rapid Deployable Corps – Italy on February 26 to take on an important assignment in SFOR, BOSNIA. Italian Brigadier General Gian Marco CHIARINI, Chief Of Staff of NRDC-IT for the past two years, took over as new Commander of the Multinational Brigade South East (MNB SE) within SFOR Mission in Bosnia.
General CHIARINI directed the 400-person multinational staff, with personnel coming from 11 different contributing nations, during a very challenging period for the development of a High Readiness Force Headquarters based on an Italian framework. Last December the Italian Corps, which in 2002 underwent an intense NATO certification programme, was qualified as ready for operations.
NRDC-IT is a land-based corps size headquarters able to command and control a force of up to 60 thousand men and able to be deployed within only 30 days. ITALY provides 70% of the personnel and all the Communication and Information assets.
Brig Gen CHIARINI will be the first Italian Commander of the newly restructured MNB SE based in MOSTAR. This multinational unit has a more than 4000-man strength force provided by Albania, France, Germany, Morocco, Spain and Italy.