Solbiate Olona, January 18, 2024. Today, at the operational headquarters of NRDC-ITA, a delegation from SHAPE, led by the Vice Chief of Staff, Lieutenant General Hubert Cottereau, was received by Lieutenant General Lorenzo D'Addario and the Key Leaders of NRDC-ITA. The purpose of the visit was to share experiences and coordinate the planning activities, with a particular focus on NATO's upcoming challenges. The aim is to prepare NRDC-ITA to assume the role of the Allied Reaction Force (ARF) Headquarters in support of the Alliance in its three main tasks: deterrence and defense, crisis prevention and management, and cooperative security.
During meetings with the NRDC-ITA Commander, Major General Bennet, and Major General Terzano, Deputy Commander and Chief of Staff of NRDC-ITA, along with the NRDC-ITA staff supported by SHAPE personnel, General Cottereau provided an informative briefing on the new role of ARF, the organizational aspects of the upcoming Steadfast Deterrence 24, and the activities that will engage the NATO Command in Milan in the near future.
Continuing the exchange of information, the Subject Matter Experts from NRDC-ITA outlined the status of planning for future exercises, the assessment of ARF, liaison activities with various NATO Commands and capabilities and challenges in the field of communications.
During the visit, the SHAPE delegation toured the infrastructure of Ugo Mara Barracks and also met with Senior Representatives from the 20 contributing Nations contributing.