Giuseppe Cavo Dragone

Giuseppe Cavo Dragone
Born	(1957-02-28) 28 February 1957 Arquata Scrivia
Allegiance	Italy
Service / branch	Italian Navy
Years of service	1980–present
Rank	Admiral (Ammiraglio)
Commands	Chief of the Defense Staff Chief of the Italian Navy Joint Operations Command Joint Special Forces Operations Headquarters Superintendent, Italian Naval Academy COMSUBIN Air Forces Command, Italian Naval Aviation Giuseppe Garibaldi Euro Operations Unit, Carrier Air Group Milazzo
Battles / wars	Operation Enduring Freedom Lebanese Civil War (Multinational Force in Lebanon)
Spouse(s)	Rosa Fossati
Children	3 (2 sons, 1 daughter)

Admiral Giuseppe Cavo Dragone is an Italian naval officer, who served as Chief of the Defense Staff since 19 October 2021 to 3 October 2024. Prior to his assumption, he served as the Chief of Staff of the Italian Navy from 21 June 2019 to 19 October 2021, and as commander of the Joint Operations Command, and the Joint Special Forces Operations Headquarters.

Early life and education

Dragone was born in Arquata Scrivia on 28 February 1957. He entered the Italian Naval Academy in Livorno in 1976 and graduated from his class in 1980. Dragone earned his Naval Aviator wings at the Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida, in 1989. Dragone returned to the US, where entered flight courses at the Naval Air Station Meridian, and in the Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point, and became carrier qualified on the USS Lexington in January 1990. Dragone returned to the US for the third time to enter the advanced training in Harrier Night Attack and Advanced Radar versions of the AV-8B Harrier II+ in 1993 at the Marine Corps Air Station Yuma. Dragone also holds a master's degree in naval and maritime sciences at the University of Pisa and a master's degree in political sciences from the University of Trieste Dragone is also a certified military paratrooper, scuba diver, free fall skydiver and karate black belter for Shotokan style Karate.

Career

Admiral Dragone with US Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Charles Q. Brown during the Ukraine Defense Contact Group in Ramstein Air Base, Germany

Dragone is a naval aviator and served as a helicopter pilot for nearly 7 years, before being transferred aboard frigates such as the Orsa and flew the UH-1 L Bell UH-1N Twin Huey, and the Sikorsky SH-3 Sea King helicopters. Dragone initially served as a helicopter pilot aboard the Ardito during the Lebanese Civil War as part of the Italian Forces during the Multinational Force in Lebanon. Dragone was among the few selected pilots transitioning to flying jets, where he flew the AV-8B Harrier II+ and garnered a total flight time of 2,500 hours. Dragone became a flight commander aboard the Maestrale-class frigates 1986–1987, and also served as a commanding officer in various ships in the Italian Navy. Dragone was placed in command of his first ship, the minehunter Milazzo from 1987 to 1988, before being placed as the commander of the Operations Unit (Reparto Operazioni) of the Italian Naval Aviation twice, from 1991 to 1993 and on 1997–1998.

Dragone also became commander of the frigate Euro from 1996 to 1997. In 1999–2002, Dragone was named as the head of the Research & Development Office at the Naval Aviation Department, before serving as the commander of the aircraft carrier Giuseppe Garibaldi on 27 September 2002, and served as the carrier's commander until 2004. Following the wake of the September 11 attacks, Dragone was one of the commander of the GRUPNAVIT I, the Italian Naval Task Force deployed in Afghanistan, and carried out 288 various missions such as interception operations, close air and naval support, and aircraft interdiction missions, where the aerial operations accumulated a total of 860 flight hours. On 2005–2008, Dragone was appointed as the Navy General Staff Air Warfare and eventually became the commander of the Air Forces Command of the Italian Naval Aviation.

In 2008, Dragone was appointed commander of the Italian Navy Special Forces Command (COMSUBIN) before being appointed as the superintendent of the Italian Naval Academy in 2011 and ended his term in 2014. In January 2012, in the aftermath of the Costa Concordia disaster, Dragone was named as head of the board of experts in advising search and rescue and recovery operations on the Costa Concordia, and assisted the judge in the trial of the case regarding the disaster.

Dragone was appointed commander of the Joint Special Forces Operations Headquarters from 3 November 2014 to 26 June 2016. After his tour of duty, Dragone became the commander of the Joint Operations Command from 1 July 2016 to 20 June 2019. On 21 June 2019, Dragone replaced Admiral Valter Girardelli as Chief of the Staff of the Navy and two years later, on 19 October 2021, he was appointed by the Council of Ministers as the Chief of the Defense Staff.

On 16 September 2023, the NATO Chiefs of Defence elected Dragone as the new Chair of the NATO Military Committee, and is set to succeed Admiral Rob Bauer in January 2025. Dragone is relieved his post as the Chief of the Defense Staff on 4 October 2024 and was replaced by General Luciano Portolano.

Awards in Military Service

• – Knight Grand Cross with Collar, Order of Merit of the Italian Republic
• Maurician medal (for 10 year military career)
• Military Medal of Merit for Long Command with gold star(20 years)
• Silver Medal for long navigation in the Navy (10 years)
• Air Force Military Medal for Long Air Navigation with gold star (20 years)
• Gold Cross for Length of Military Service
• Cross Commemorating Operations in Afghanistan
• Peace Operations Commemorative Cross
• Commemorative Medal for Navy personnel in the Persian Gulf
• Command Duties Bronze Medal
• Operation Enduring Freedom Medal
• United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon Medal
• – NATO medal for the former Yugoslavia
• - Officer, Legion of Honour
• – German Sports Badge

Badges

• Military Paratrooper Badge
• Military Scuba Diver Badge