Life and career

Born in Sant'Albano Stura

Sant'Albano Stura

Sant'Albano Stura is a comune in the Province of Cuneo in the Italian region Piedmont, located about 60 km south of Turin and about 20 km northeast of Cuneo...

 in 1949 he was admitted at Military Academy of Modena and he gradueted with the rank of tenente in 1974.
From 1975 to 1979 he held the posts of platoon and company commander in varius battalion of mountain infantry

Alpini

The Alpini, , are the elite mountain warfare soldiers of the Italian Army. They are currently organized in two operational brigades, which are subordinated to the Alpini Corps Command. The singular is Alpino ....

, from 1979 he held a position in the at Alpini Formation Center in Aosta.
From 1987 to 1990 he had his staff assignment and from 1990 to 1992 he led Bassano alpine infantry battalio in Innichen

Innichen

Innichen is a market town and comune in South Tyrol in the Italian region Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol.It is located in the Puster Valley on the Drava river, about 120 km northeast of Trento and about 80 km northeast of Bolzano , on Italy's border with Austria.As November 2010, it had a...

. After other staff duties he led Alpine Brigade Taurinense

Alpine Brigade Taurinense

The Alpine Brigade Taurinense is a light Infantry brigade of the Italian Army, specializing in Mountain Combat. Its core units are the Alpini, the mountain infantry corps of the Italian Army, that distinguished itself in combat during World War I and World War II.The brigade’s name "Taurinense"...

 from 1998 to 2000, from July to November 2000 he led Multinational Brigade West

KFOR

The Kosovo Force is a NATO-led international peacekeeping force responsible for establishing a secure environment in Kosovo.KFOR entered Kosovo on 12 June 1999 under a United Nations mandate, two days after the adoption of UN Security Council Resolution 1244...

 in Kosovo.
From 2001 to 2007 he led the staff of Italian Minister of Defence serving under 3 different ministers. In 2007 he was named head of the Italain procurement defence agency. In 2010 the Italian president Giorgio Napolitano

Giorgio Napolitano

Giorgio Napolitano is an Italian politician who has been the 11th President of Italy since 2006. A long-time member of the Italian Communist Party and later the Democrats of the Left, he served as President of the Chamber of Deputies from 1992 to 1994 and as Minister of the Interior from 1996 to...

following the advice of the council of ministers named Abrate Chief of the Defence Staff.