Issue n. 3 - April 2004

NEWCOM EX EE 04 1st IT DIV MSU

Commander Foreword....................................................................................... page 1

Change of Command............................................................................................ page 2

New Commander ........................................................................................................ page 5

Ex Eagle Nest 1/04..................................................................................................... page 6

Ex Eagle Entry.................................................................................................................... page 8

2004 An Intense Training Year.................................................................. page 10

Ex Eagle Winter................................................................................................................ page 12

Mantova Division........................................................................................................... page 14

Sports Activities .............................................................................................................. page 16

Rear Support Command .................................................................................. page 18

GEO Branch ............................................................................................................................ page 20

New Building Completed ................................................................................ page 22

MSU .................................................................................................................................................... page 24

Visits and Events............................................................................................................ page 26

A Receipe of International Food.......................................................... page 28

CONTENTSCONTENTS

FOREWORDFOREWORDDear Readers,

it has been a really exciting period for ourheadquarters as a new Commander took overand finally the new building for the staff,named “Star Ship”, has been completed andwe have moved in our brand new offices.

The Corps continues its training within the Eagle SeriesExercises for assuming the Land Component Command rolefor NRF3 and for starting the “Stand by” phase from the 1stJuly 2004 in the best conditions.

Our efforts are all focused on preparing Allied ActionExercise, that will take place in Civitavecchia at the end ofMay 2004, and working in close coordination with JointForce Command South. You will read about the outcome ofthis exercise in the next issue.

Riccardo CristoniLtc. IT Army

Chief PI

How to contact “NRDC-IT Magazine”:Phone: +39 0331 345110-3-4 • Fax: +39 0331 620331 • Email: hrf.media@libero.it • Internet: www.nato.int/nrdc-it

Chief Public Information:Ltc. Riccardo Cristoni

Public Information Branch:Capt. Spartaco TassinariCapt. Alfredo CroccoWO Cosimo ArgentieriWO Francesco Civitelli

(Chief photographer)Cpl Salvatore Picone

(photographer)

NRDC-IT Magazine is theauthorized unofficialpublication of NRDC-IT;editorial content is editedand prepared by thePubblic Information officestaff from submissionssent to them.PI staff may be contactedon telephone ext. 5110(Chief PI); 5113 (so2 MediaOps); 5114 (so2 MediaPlans) or by callingcommercial+39 0331 345110-3-4.Opinion expressed hereinare those of the authorsand do not necessarilyrepresent the officialviews of NRDC-IT andNATO.

Issue n. 3 - April 2004

NEWCOM EX EE 04 1st IT DIV MSU

Commander Foreword

1

First of all, I would like to thank my predecessor Lt GenFabrizio CASTAGNETTI and Lady Teresa CASTAGNETTI fortheir magnificent contributions in the first phases ofthe realization of theNATO rapid DeployableCorps –Italy project.Credit must be givenalso to the Italian Armedforces and to the excel-lent professional and spi-ritual qualities of menand women of the otherten NRDC-It contributingNations.

When I assumed com-mand of the NRDC-IT on20 February 2004, I wasconscious that NATO ischanging radically andthat our Headquarters isplaying an essential partwithin this transforma-tion process. Modern,flexible, rapidly deploya-ble forces are requiredto meet and defeattoday’s asymmetricalthreats, the most nota-ble one being terrorism.

We must be able to facechanging circumstancesand to tackle new secu-rity challenges withinand outside the traditio-nal NATO’s area ofresponsibility. At thePrague Summit held inNovember 2002, the NATO Heads of State agreed to theconcept of a robust, readily deployable and credibleforce, the NATO Response Force (NRF). In this context,NRDC-IT will assume leadership as NRF Land ComponentCommand in the second half of this year.

There are a lot of critical situations throughout theworld. I hope that the efforts of the international com-munity will contribute more and more to stabilize

Afghanistan, Iraq and theBalkans, where I’ve ser-ved as a MultinationalUnit Commander along-side the ARRC. Thismeans that we, as partof the NATO Commandand Force Structure, canbe deployed when andwhere necessary, in sup-port of the collective willof the Alliance.

Officers, NCOs, Soldiersof NRDC_IT, this is ourjob and we must be pre-pared and ready todeploy on operationswhen requested to bringpeace where people livein less fortunate circum-stances than ours. That’sa challenge that I amsure we all together willwin.

I look forward toworking with all of you inthe aim to contribute tothe process of defense,security and stability inthe world

Lt Gen Mauro Del Vecchio

The NRDC-IT CommanderLt. Gen. Mauro Del Vecchio

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Solbiate Olona, Italy. On 20 February 2004, at the end ofa significant ceremony held in the Flags Square of theUgo Mara barracks, Lieutenant General Mauro DelVecchio took over as new NRDC-IT Commander, repla-cing Lieutenant General Fabrizio Castagnetti who wasdesignated as Deputy Chief of Italian Defence Staff in

Rome.

The eventtook placein unusual

atmosphere and environment as all the region has beenstormed by snow for a couple of days and everythingwas white coloured and the temperature was somedegrees below zero. This, may be, contributed to keepthe official speeches short but he has caused someorganizational and transport problems for all the guestsscheduled to join us in this ceremony. Despite theamount of fallen snow the Signal Brigade personnel didan excellent job by keeping clear all the ceremony areaand the access road working hard all the night through.

The ceremony was presided by the Commander in Chiefof Allied Forces Southern Europe, US Navy AdmiralGregory G. Johnson, by IT Army Lt Gen Cosimo D’Arrigo,Commander of Operational Forces and attended byvarious local and regional authorities as well by national

and internationalhigh rankingofficials and bynational media.

All the invitees,after being

cheered by the two Commanders, reached the main“palco” waiting for the parade to be formed. The firstformation to enter the Flags square was the 3rd regi-ment Bersaglieri Fanfara, a military band thatplays its instruments while running,followed by two coys of theLogistic and Support regi-ment, two coys of the 1stSignal regiment and byone Carabinieri (MP) pla-toon. Then the NATOflag together with the11 contributing nationsflags took their positionin the center of the para-de. At the end the War Flagof the 1st regiment join theparade accompanied by the Italian

national anthem.

The ceremonythen proceededwith the officialspeeches of theSenior appoint-ment holder andof the twoCommanders andthe most signifi-cant event: thehand over of theCorps Coloursfrom Lt GenCastagnetti to LtGen Del Vecchio.

Admiral Johnson praised the great goals achieved bythe Italian Army and by General Castagnetti for creatingthe headquarters from almost “nothing” and statedthat he was looking to work closely with NRDC-IT fromJuly 04 on as part of NATO Responce Force 3.Gen Castagnetti has been the first NRDC-IT Commanderand duringhis com-mand hea c h i e v e dthe qualifi-cation ofthe NRDC-ITas a High Readiness Force (L) HQ at the end of 2002. Inhis address to the participants he briefly mentionedthat history of the High readiness Forces Headquarters(HRF) project and the heavy commitments assumed bythe Italian Army, but most of all by the multinational

staff and by Signal Brigade personnel. He encouragedthe staff to continue playing a proactive

role in the creation of the NATOResponse Force as NRDC-IT will

play the Land ComponentCommand role for NRF 3

from July 2004 to midJanuary 2005. The creation of NRDC-ITheadquarters is not justan operational Comand

structure but “goesbeyond the alliance intere-

sts, having the potential tobecome an icon, an example to

follow for the new fully professional

“THERE WAS NOTHING AND NOWWE HAVE A VERY EFFICIENTHEADQUARTERS, EXCEEDING ANYESTIMATE”Admiral G. Johnson CINCSOUTH

IT WAS A TOUGH CHALLENGE INDEED,A SORT OF “MISSION IMPOSSIBLE”. Lt Gen Castagnetti COMNRDC-IT

Lt Gen Castagnetti and Lt Gen Del Vecchiocheer Adm Johnson upon

his arrival in Solbiate Olona.

A Senior NCO holds the CORPS colours.

Change of CommandChange of Command Ceremony

by Ltc R. CRISTONI, Chief PI

“NATO RESPONCE FORCE IS AND WILLCONTINUE TO BE NATO’S CENTER OFGRAVITY AND TO THIS EXTENT, THEREIS NO ROMM FOR FAILURE”Lt Gen Castagnetti NRDC-IT COM

3

Admiral Johnson, Lt Gen d’Arrigo, authorities,distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen, onbehalf of the NRDC-IT and Signal Brigade per-sonnel, thank you very much for honouring thischange of command ceremony with your pre-sence. A special thanks to the mayors, or theirrepresentatives, of the cities of Solbiate Olona,that hosts our base, Milan, Varese, BustoArsizio and all other neighbouring local com-munities of the region of Lombardia. You have extended your hand of friendship anddisplayed your hospitality to hundreds of mili-tary families, Italian and the other ten alliedcountries that form the NRDC-IT. These fami-lies have felt themselves at home from the verybeginning; a further demonstration of the cha-racters of friendship, hospitality and thewarmth of the Italian people.In 2001, when the project of the creation of ahigh readiness headquarters began, within theframe of the NATO force structure review, theproposal made by Italy to offer Solbiate Olonaas the home of this new deployable headquar-ters, was received with skepticism. This was inlarge part due to the lack of specific experienceat such a level of command, lack of equipmentand Italian personnel trained in NATO opera-tional procedures, insufficiency of infrastructu-ral facilities and the vastity of resources needed.It was a tough challenge indeed, a sort of “mis-sion impossible”. Well, in December 2002, afteran unprecedented deployment exercise of all theNRDC-IT group, the headquarters obtained fulloperational capability with the highest ratingsachievable. the credit goes to the gigantic effortmade by the Italian Army Staff, the LandOperational Forces HQ, and the hard work,great motivation, leadership and profound com-petence of hundreds of men and women of theSignal Brigade and the headquarters staffrepresenting the countries of Italy, UnitedKingdom, United States of America, Hungary,Greece, Spain, Germany, Netherlands, Poland,Portugal and Turkey. We had a clear objective to achieve, we main-

tained our focus, we had faith and trust, weworked as a team and we succeeded. To all ofthe officers, NCOs and soldiers of the NRDC-ITgroup, my deepest thanks, thanks also from Italyand NATO. Be proud of what you have achie-ved, NATO is a fundamental alliance for thesecurity of the world and our headquarters isnow an important part of its core.While satisfied with these achievements, we allknow that we are not yet at the end state; a lotmore is still to be done, we have to complete theacquisition of the equipment, optimize the ope-rational procedures, redefine the manning andmanage the personnel rotation without anydecrease of operational capability; also, wemust review the functions of the staff to renderthem more efficient, responsive and coherentwith the new tasks and threats. As you have done thus far, I encourage you tocontinue playing a proactive role in the creationof the NATO Response Force. The NATOResponse Force is and will continue to beNATO’s center of gravity and to this extent,there is no room for failure; because failure maycause the Alliance itself to become irrelevant.Admiral Johnson, be assured that this head-quarters has shifted its full potential andstrength toward achieving success with theNATO Response Force. We will be proactive, visionary and determinedto make the NATO response force a fundamen-tal turning point of NATO. The full operationalcapability and now the NATO Response Forcewere not the only two tasks we had. This base,as you know, was home to a logistics battalionand so we were faced with another importanttask; to transform this battalion level barracksinto a base for a multinational, joint corpsheadquarters. Also in this area, the amount ofresources put to bear by the Italian Army Staffand Operational forces, Geniodife, the Armyand the Air Force Territorial Engineers and thegarrison headquarters, have been huge.A master plan has been drafted and approved,financial resources committed, some projects

have been completed, and others are underwaywhile others will begin shortly. To mention justa few: a new entrance, full renovation of thetemporary staff headquarters (to my rear), theofficer’s club, brand new headquarters for thesignal brigade and the national support ele-ments, a summer garden with a military “fore-steria”, the “starship” building (to my right)almost ready to be inaugurated, a parking lotfor 600 vehicles, also almost ready, a new peri-meter security fence, a second parking lot outsi-de and finally the jewel, still to be initiated, avillage with 200 independent houses, a commer-cial center, sports facilities, a couple of schools,a cinema. When fully realized this accomplish-ment will have an importance that goes beyondthe alliance interests, having the potential tobecome an icon, an example to follow for thenew fully professional Italian Army.I am sorry to leave Solbiate half way throughthis process, but the new job in Rome, deputy ofJoint Defence staff, will allow me not only towork for the good of NATO, but also to continueto follow and support in everyway possible thisgreat headquarters. I am leaving the commandto a friend, to a very capable man who will con-tinue the job. Dear Mauro, my best wishes for you to improvethe operational capabilities of this headquar-ters, to make this base a great place to workand live, and i hope you may lead this head-quarters to a real operation in the near future.Officers, NCOs, Carabinieri, soldiers and civi-lians of the NRDC-IT group, my two past yearsas your commander have been an exciting expe-rience, an adventure of which i am proud, enri-ched by success. All this would not have beenpossible without your unlimited support, dedi-cation, competence, determination, and friend-ship.You, you most of all, deserve the credit of whathas been achieved and, I am sure, the future willsee you act brilliantly as always. Thanks verymuch. I will never forget you. Take care. All thebest to you and your families.

Lt Gen Castagnetti’s adress.

Change of Command

A view of the formation and of the Contributing Nation Flagsready for the parade.

Members of the bersaglieri fanfara with their tipical hat.

Change of Command

Admiral Johnson, LieutenantGeneral D’Arrigo, authorities,distinguished guests, ladies andgentlemen, on behalf of theNATO Rapid DeployableCorps, I am very proud today toassume command of this greatunit, with a full knowledge ofthe responsibility entrusted inme. The achievements since theconstitution of this head quar-ters have been most significant.Today, here in Solbiate Olona,NATO can rely upon a com-mand structure of high opera-tional readiness, fully deploya-ble on operations abroad withminimal warning, and able tocontrol corps level forces andabove. The Italian Army Staffand the Land OperationalForces headquarters haveexpended a great deal of effortto reach this objective.Moreover, the personnel of theCorps staff and of the SignalBrigade have contributedvaluable and determined effortsenabling the corps to attain afull operational capability. I amfully aware of their exceptionalefforts. For this reason, Iexpress my gratitude to themembers of the chain of com-mand who have entrusted mewith the duties of Corps com-mander. Furthermore, I express my sin-

cere appreciation to the menand women of the Corps head-quarters and the Signal brigadewho have, with high professio-nalism and strong motivation,carried this command to a highoperational level.To Lieutenant GeneralCastagnetti, who has been theprimary architect of the corps’accomplishments, and is desti-ned for duties of even greaterresponsibility within the ItalianArmed Forces, I express mysincere admiration and respect.Fabrizio, my friend, you leave agreat, lasting legacy upon thecorps. All of the personnelwithin the Corps headquartersand the Signal Brigade will fol-low, I’m convinced, the roadthat you have forged, seekingalways to finish, for the better,the work that you have done sowell. Admiral Johnson, LieutenantGeneral D’Arrigo, authorities,honoured guests, ladies andgentlemen, and members of thecommand, it is with these senti-ments of gratitude, admiration,and humility, that I assumecommand of the corps and Iendeavour to respond adequa-tely to the expectations of theItalian Armed Forces as well asthose of the NATO chain ofcommand.

Lt Gen Mauro Del Vecchio’s adress

Lt Gen Del Vecchio adress his speech after assuming command.

Admiral US NAVY G. JohnsonCINCSOUTH.

Adm Johnson, CINCSOUTH, andLt Gen D’Arrigo, COM IT HQLAND

reviewing the formation.

Italian Army” Castagnetti said. A new concept of a military Italian base where soldiersand their families can live together, go to school, playsports and go shopping. So far many projects havebeen comple-ted and otherswill come soon,among thosethe 200 inde-pendent hou-ses villagerepresents themost ambitiousand important.

Lieutenant General Del Vecchio possesses an extraordi-nary operational experience as Commander ofMultinational units in the Balkans area of operation suchas Bosnia in 1997 and FYROM and KOSOVO in 1999where, in particular, he was the Commander of theItalian contingent when NATO entered KOSOVO after theair campaign. His operational vision and expertise willgreatly contribute to the preparation and training ofthe whole staff as it is entering the NRF roster.

The event was concluded with a small reception at theOfficer Club where all the guest had the chance towarm themselves and raise their glasses for a toast forthe two Commnaders. Afterwards the incoming andoutgoing Commander met the local and regional mediaand released some statements.

NATO CAN RELY UPON ACOMMAND STRUCTURE OF HIGHOPERATIONAL READINESS, FULLYDEPLOYABLE ON OPERATIONSABROAD WITH MINIMAL WARNING,AND ABLE TO CONTROL CORPSLEVEL FORCES AND ABOVE. Lt Gen Del Vecchio NRDC-IT COM

4

New Commander

5

Lieutenant General Mauro DEL VECCHIO (IT Army)Commander HQ NATO RAPID DEPLOYABLE CORPS – IT

Lieutenant General Mauro DEL VECCHIO was born in1946, in Rome, Italy. He attended the Military AcademyCourse in 1965, where he was commissioned 2nd

Lieutenant. He attended the Turin School ofApplication and after two years he was promoted tothe rank of 1st Lieutenant of "bersaglieri" infantry.

His military education also includes Italian Army WarCollege (Basic and Advanced Courses), equitationcourse, psychological warfare and parachutingcourses.

His command appointments include periods asInfantry Platoon and Company Commanders,Commanding Officer of the 1st Bersaglieri Battalion "LaMarmora", Commander of the Military District ofFlorence, and Commander of "Garibaldi" Bersaglieri

Brigade (1997-1999) in Caserta and Commander of theSchool of Application and Specialization (2000-2003) inTurin.

He has had considerable International experienceincluding periods spent as Commander ofMultinational units deployed in Operations in theBalkans area, such as Bosnia 1997, the Former YugoslavRepublic of Macedonia (FYROM) and Kosovo in 1999;for those operations he was awarded the followingdecorations: Great Officer to the Italian Republic Merit,the Knight’s Cross of the Italian Republic Military Order,the Legion of Merit awarded by the Spanish Minister ofDefence and the Portuguese First Class of Merit Medal.

Since November 2002 he has been appointedPresident of Council of the Italian Military Order.

Most recently he covered the assignment of DeputyChief of Manpower Department within the Italian ArmyGeneral Staff. On 13 January 2004 he was promoted toLieutenant General and on 20 February he assumedthe appointment of Commander of the NATO RapidDeployable Corps-Italy.

Lt. Gen. Del Vecchio holds a degree in Strategic Scienceand his decorations include Army Bronze Medal,"Mauriziana" Medal, Gold Cross for Long service, SilverMedal for Long period of Command, CommemorativeCross for the Peace Mission in Bosnia Herzegovina, inKosovo and in Fyrom-Albania, Commemorative Medalfor Relief Operations in Friuli and the Knight’s MaltaCommendation Medal for Relief Operations in theformer Yugoslavia.

Ex Eagle Nest 1/04

6

Ex EAGLE NEST is a series of three HQ level Study Periodsfocused on the NRF concept which is taking place inUgo Mara Barracks during 2004.

In January, HQ NRDC IT conducted the first, ExerciseEAGLE NEST 1/04. It was a very useful opportunity toachieve a common understanding of the NRF, which isan essential prerequisite for our preparations for thestand by period.

Ex EAGLE NEST 1/04 consisted of a two-day study period(briefings/syndicate discussions; followed by a one-dayMap Exercise (MAPEX) designed to develop an under-standing of a likely NRF operation from ACTORD to reco-very or handover to follow-on forces.

The objectives achieved were the following:

- To brief HQ Staff, C2 elements of NRF Bde andAFSOUTH Reps on NRDC-IT understanding and currentdevelopments in the NRF Concept aswell as on the resulting implicationsfor NRDC-IT and assigned Unitsnamely during the Force Integration,collective training and Stand-byPhases.

- To obtain the higher echelons views and intentions onthis issue. To have the opportunity to back brief HQNRDC-IT on recent/relevant developments concerningNRF Concept imple-mentation

- To brief on the wayahead for the stand-byNRF/HRF(L) period (Jun04 – Dec04 ) andour participation in ExALLIED ACTION 04.

- To listen to any queriesor concerns that theinvited representativesof other HQs have andto analyse possibleoptions for the resolu-tion of those concernswhere possible.

- To establish a personal working relationship with C2NRF Bde elms/AFSOUTH structures thus improvingthe passage of information and coordination betweenHQ NRDC-IT, subordinate formations and AFSOUTH.

- To understand clearly the organization, capabilitiesand limitations of all subordinated Units.

Ex EAGLE NEST 1/04 Participation included incorporating

representation from C2 Elements of NRF Bde staff(Taurinense Bde), assigned Units/Formations (CBRN Bn,HU CIMIC Coy and GR Coy) and AFSOUTH J3 – J5

Representatives. AIRSOUTH, HU Div,MANTOVA Div, Arty Bde, Istar Bde, FRIULIBde as well as other affiliated Units sentrepresentatives as Observers.

From HQ NRDC-IT all available personnelattended during the Study Period while the MAPEX wasfor SO2s (Staff Officers) and above.

In order to avoid unnecessary movements for externalattendees and works, scenario and planning tools forExercises EAGLE LANDING, EAGLE ENTRY and EAGLE NESTwere produced in close coordination. IPC (Initial PlanningConference) and MPC (Main Planning Conference) werealso held at the same time for EAGLE exercises.

The aim of the first Exercise of the EAGLE series (NEST,ENTRY and LANDING) was to spread the NRF conceptamong the NRDC staff and the assigned NRF Bde ele-ments representatives and to carry out an Exercise toimplement this concept.

EXECUTIONDuring the Study Period, formal briefs held in plenarysessions were addressed to the attendees, being fol-lowed by discussions. The Study period was split in two different working days;the first one was used for formal presentations providedby Branches concerning NRF general topics as:

- NRF Concept - G3Ops- NRF HQ (L) C2 - G3Ops- NRF (L) Bde - TAURINESE Bde- CIS concept - G6- DJTF - AFSOUTH J5 - NEO (Non Combatant Evacuation Operations)

and Counter terrorism Ops for NRF - G5Plans

Multinational Staff attending a briefing on NRF concept.

by J. I. GIL RUIZ Maj SP ARMY G3 OPS COORD

VERY USEFUL OPPORTUNITYTO ACHIEVE A COMMONUNDERSTANDING OF THE NRF

An Officer of the CBRN Bnpresenting a briefing.

The second day was broken down into three differentactivities. The first one consisted of formal briefs fromG3 Ops about tactical procedures to be used by HQNRDC-IT as NRF-3, including deployment and force inte-gration aspects; Support Div (NRF CSS concept), RSC(RSOM) and FCOORD (Targeting Procedures). The secondone allowed contributing non-framework Nations (CBRNCzech Bn, HU CIMIC Coy and GR Coy) to explain in detailthe units offered to the NRF Force. And, finally, the thirdone consisted of separate workshops led by G3 Ops, G2and Support Div together with the external representati-ves, in order to discuss functional matters. Their conclu-sions were presented afterwards.

G 3Ops recorded the conclusions at the end of each dayand these were then presented to the audience.

Throughout the MAPEX, HQ NRDC-IT acted as a NRF (L)Component Command, commanding assigned NRF Bde,CS and CSS Units according to this Exercise organization.

Basic MAPEX Organisation

The MAPEX comprised two different activities:

In the morning: Three scenarios were explored as a prac-tical confirmation of the deployment and initial activa-tion phases. All the HQ elements across the spectrum ofcommand explained and defined their respective rolesand interaction with the other NRF components. Theexplanations were made within the tactical scenario butthe issues discussed were largely procedural.

In the afternoon: A specific, fictional tactical scenario wasdescribed in the post deployment period that posed aproblem and required all participants to develop a solu-tion identifying lines of work for short, medium and lon-ger term implementation and also consideration ofNon-Combatant Evacuation and Counter Terrorist opera-tional contingencies.

Once Exercise EAGLE NEST finished, it was agreed by allthe participants that this kind of Exercise is a very useful

tool for us to be trained as an NRF LCC HQ. Next EAGLEExercises conducted in this way, when doctrine is beingproduced at the same time that the concept is applied,are a very powerful instrument to be used by a HQ likeours. There is no doubt about the benefits that we canobtain from these exercises, benefits that must beapplied in a very short period of time. NRF-3 stand byperiod is just around the corner.

7

The Commander and his Staff attending the exercise.

Members of the CBRN Battaillon attending a presentation.

Ex Eagle Nest 1/04

Media Ops videooperator supporting the MAPEX.

8

Exercise “Eagle Entry 04”, thesecond exercise of thethree part EagleExercise Series was amilestone event forthe NRDC-IT HQ.This exercise ser-ved as one ofmany importantsteps to ensurethat theHeadquarters is pre-pared for NATOResponse Force (NRF) 3Standby which starts in July2004. Training activities took placeat Conigliera Area within Ugo MaraBarracks during the period 09-13 February 2004.This exercise included elements of the NRF LandComponent Early Entry Command Post, the RearSupport Command Forward, the NRF Brigade Early EntryCommand Post, and included obser-vers from other Land ComponentCommand Forces as well. The exerci-se was divided into two distinctperiods, a study period and a deploy-ment exercise, designed to achievethe exercise aim to develop and confirm NRF land com-

ponent EarlyEntry doctrine,architecture,p r o c e d u r e sand readiness.

The first day ofthe exerciseconsisted of astudy period.During thisperiod the

NRDC-IT Headquarters’ Staff and members of theTaurinense Brigade (the NRF Brigade) briefed the exercise

audience on various topicsranging from a complete

review and update ofthe NRF Concept to

how the NRFBrigade will deployits Early EntryCommand Post.This portion of theexercise allowed

the staff to shareinformation, identify

requirements andensured that all members

of the NRDC-IT have a com-mon understanding of how the

NRF will initially enter and operate in anArea of Operations. This study period generated

interesting discussion and identified areas that the staffof both the NRDC-IT and the NRF Brigade Headquartersmust focus on in order to ensure readiness prior to NRF

Standby in July 2004.

After the study period, theHeadquarters began the second partof the exercise. The NRF LandComponent Early Entry Command

Post, the Rear Support Command Forward, the NRFBrigade Early Entry Command Post deployed to theConigliera Area of Caserma Ugo Mara Barracks for a twoday deployment exercise designed to test procedures,systems, and equipment and to practice the deploymentof initial command and control and forward operatinglogistics functions. The deployment exercise allowed thestaff to check the availability and proper function of allphysical assets to include command and control systems,computer information systems, and support systems.The exercise also provided an excellent opportunity formembers of the Command to check their own personalreadiness. Members that belonged to an Early EntryCommand Post and to the Rear Support Command weresubject to inspection of all of their personal combat

Early Entry Commanderreceives a situation update.

EE CP members attending a meetinginside an inflatable tent.

A view of the EE CPunder camouflage nets.

International Staffwithin the EE CP.

IMPORTANT STEPS TO ENSURE THATTHE HEADQUARTERS IS PREPAREDFOR NATO RESPONSE FORCE (NRF) 3

Ex Eagle Entryby Ltc J. SARAMAGO, PO Army G5 Plans

equipment and deployment records (immunizationrecords, orders, etc..) prior to deployment. Overall, thisphase of the exercise provided opportunity for all mem-bers of the Command to visualize the requirements ofthis phase of deployment. It provided an illustration ofthe architecture and operation of the NRF Early EntryCommand Post within the NRF Concept and provided agreat opportunity to improve existing architecture,systems, and procedures.

Overall the exercise generated some positive results.During the exercise it was determined that requirementsto move the Early Entry Command Post were too greatand that the size of the physical architecture should bereduced. As a result, the NRDC-IT will change the physicalarchitecture of the Early Entry Command Post to a smal-ler and more agile one. After operating under the exerci-se scenario for just one day, the Headquarters also identi-fied the need to improve the battle rhythm for the com-manders and staff. The battle rhythm will be revised toensure vital information is shared at appropriate timesthroughout the conduct of operations without excee-ding the capability of the staff. The Headquarters alsovalidated some systems that worked well. For example,

the Headquarters’ video teleconference (VTC) capabilityproved to be very effective tool for sharing informationamong all command posts and allowed for excellentinteraction with the Deployable Joint Task ForceHeadquarters. The VTC was integral to successful coordi-nation and interaction between each echelon of com-mand.

In January the NRDC-IT completed the first part of theEagle Exercise Series: “Eagles Nest 04”. With the lessonslearned from both “Eagles Nest and now Eagle Entry 04”,the NRDC-IT is prepared to take on its next challenge andculminating exercise within the Eagle Series: “EagleLanding 04”. This exercise will focus on operations afterour forces have entered into a specified Theater of ope-rations. It will take place in conjunction with ExerciseDynamic Action 04 that will be used to conductOperational Planning Processes at JFC and NRF CC’slevels. The final step will be represented by Allied Action04, designed to certify the JFC and the CCs for the nextNRF rotation and to validate the CJTF capability. Theseexercises together will provide training, experience andlessons learned that will be instrumental in confirmingthe NRDC-IT’s ability to implement the NATO ResponseForce Concept. “Eagle Landing 04” is scheduled for 20March- 2 April 2004.

Ex Eagle Entry

9

Mounting the camouflage nets for the EE CP.

Italian and Spanish NCO, working together.

Soldiers of the NRF Taurinense Bde on guard to the EE CP.

2004 An Intense

10

TRAINING CALENDAR

When I was asked by Media to write an article aboutthe HQ’s Training Programme, 2 questions immediatelysprung to mind. Firstly, as I had at the time just recei-ved the Commander’s training guidance for 2005, Iwondered which year they were referring to. Secondly,if they indeed wanted an article that covered 2004,everything was contained in the Commander’s TrainingDirective for this year. But 2004 it is, and I thereforeoffer the following.

I am sure that we all returned from a well-earnedChristmas holiday, ready to embark on the progressiveprogramme that would lead us into our NRF Standbyperiod. The theory was that the series of EAGLE exerci-ses (NEST, ENTRY and LANDING) would flow from oneto another, with us as the Primary Training Audience(PTA) almost imperceptibly gaining in our knowledgeof NRF operations as we travelled along the conveyorbelt of education that had been laid before us. Betterstill, opportunities would be provided for us to breakaway from the central path offered by the EAGLEseries to consider special-to-branch issues, then re-convene collectively in order to get our teeth into thenext major training task. To cap it all, just in case all thiscerebral activity would be too much for us to bear, ourroute was to be punctuated with events such as askiing exercise in Passo Tonale, a battlefield tour inNormandy and various Ugo Mara Cup sporting events.

So much for the theory. Unfortunately, in true militaryfashion, a number of challenges had also been placedin our way, presumably as reminders that no plan sur-vives contact with the enemy, and that we must the-

refore remain flexible! These included the change ofcommand, the move from our current offices to the“Starship” (is this what trainers mean by a “buildingblock approach”?), the transformation from an insecu-re LAN to CRONOS, and various NRF certification com-mitments.

I am assured by Media that, as this magazine hits thestreets, Ex EAGLE LANDING will be behind us, and thatwe shall therefore be contemplating how we canperform even better on Ex ALLIED ACTION. I have noidea what our “Lessons Identified” during EAGLE LAN-DING will be, but I am sure that we shall conduct a re-appraisal of our short-term training priorities so thatwe can develop our internal procedures. FollowingALLIED ACTION, we shall have opportunities for furtherdevelopment during Ex EAGLE NEST 2 and for the cul-mination of our readiness preparations during ExEAGLE PREENING as the critical date of 1 July approa-ches.

by Maj S. COX, UK Army G7 Training

Updating the situation map during Exe Sharp Dagger ‘03.

A female Corporal of the Support Regimentduring the winter training.

11

This will by no means allow us to stop training. As theold maxim goes: “Unless you are going forwards, youmust be going backwards.” And in the words of ACOSG7: “Training is the engine that never stops!” In orderto maintain our NRF readiness during our Standbyperiod, the themes that started at the beginning ofthe year will continue: a second EAGLE ENTRY and athird EAGLE NEST (in the best traditions of successfulfilms!), with even more branch study periods (inclu-ding a study of the implications of Effects BasedOperations). Again, recreation and fun will not be over-looked, with more adventure training and sport sche-duled for the summer and autumn.

The injection of Ex DESTINED GLORY, which is expectedto involve our Early Entry (EE) and Rear SupportCommand (Forward) (RSC (Fwd)) HQs, plus the EE CPand an entire Battle Group from the NRF Brigade, in a“live” demonstration of the NRF’s Interim OperationalCapability (IOC) during October has forced a re-think ofour training programme. This is likely to involve thebringing forward of Ex EAGLE ENTRY 2 in order that wecan rehearse and develop our internal proceduresbeforehand. Towards the end of the year, we shallagain send a team to join HQ ARRC, one of our mutual-ly supporting HQs, on their capstone exercise, ARRCA-DE FUSION.

At the time of writing, this all seems to be relevant andaccurate. However, I would be one of the first to reco-gnise that, as professional soldiers, we must alwaysexpect the unexpected, and that all planning musttherefore be subject to change. The very nature of ourNRF Standby commitment reinforces this point, and Iwould be surprised if we reached the end of the yearwithout further amendments to the training program-me. However, it is largely through the programmeitself that we intend to prepare to meet our NRF com-mitments. I hope that those readers who have made itto the end of this article have enjoyed the journey!

Training Year

A GPM nest during the winter training.

Operational briefing at the Rear Alternate and Step Up (RAS)Command Post during Exe Light Ship ‘02.

NRDC-IT Staff operating in NBC environment.

Ex Eagle Winter

12

In the last mid February a big group from HQ NRDC-ITStaff, Signal Brigade and its subordinate Regiments,attended a training week in Passo del Tonale area. Aimof the activity, named Snow Master 2004, was to intro-duce the personnel to the mountain winter envi-ronment practising both the snow ter-rain movement and the alpineskiing.In the morning ofMonday 16th Februarythe group leftSolbiate ready toface the new chal-lenge, a lot ofthem did notever see a pair ofskies… The arrivalat Passo del Tonalewas really impressi-ve, a wonderfulsunny day full of lightwith the white snow pro-duced a postcard landscape.The first day passed very quicklyfor the equipment set up even if thefirst contact with the “terrific” snowshoes scaredsomeone.The morning after all were ready to start the game, amarch was scheduled and on the map it didn’t appearso demanding… the weather was wonderful and theentire conditions ideal to test the enemy. The first partof the itinerary was quite easy but, after a while, thesnow conditions changed dramatically and the tragedybegun. The snowshoes that fit perfectly in the barracksseemed to have changed dimensions, after few steps

they untied from the boots forcing people to stop andto rescue them under half a meter of snow…But the very strong determination of NRDC-IT heroesallowed winning the battle even if the valley echoed

with bad words in several languages.The first step was done, in the evening

the morale was very high becau-se of the day after the skiing

activity should start. Andso, in another blue-sky

day, our braves wereready, and fullyequipped, to emu-late AlbertoTomba’s perfor-mances. The“experts” started

very proudly toshow the others

the secrets of skiing,the “beginners” (most

of them absolute) startedtheir personal battle with the

treacherous pieces of wood…Anyway everything went well, the civi-

lian ski instructors who cooperated with us gavetheir experience and, at the end of the day, everybodycould appreciate the skiing pleasure… fantastic!But nothing so perfect could last too long… the mor-ning after, another march was scheduled, a surprisewelcomed the group at wake-up. The weather remem-bered that it was mid February and changed dramatical-ly, a real snowstorm was ongoing in the Tonale area.After a couple of hours of waiting the situation didn’tchange and the activity of the day was cancelled. A mix-

Checking the snow equipment before starting the daily activity.Patrols on a snow track.

by Maj P. LA MACCHIA, IT Army G7 Training

Following the ski instructorson the slopes.

Snow Master 2004

Ex Eagle Winter

13

ture of feelings pervaded the crew, sadness for notenjoying the mountain pleasures and, on the other side,happiness for the avoided fatigue. However the sparetime was exploited for delivering some lectures on the

mountain environment and specific winter aspectsfocussing on dangers, WO Beikircher had the opportu-nity to show his knowledge and professionalism on thetopic.The other three days are history, the weather remainedunchanged until the end of the exercise but the activitydidn’t stop. Every morning our heroes went skiingdespite the zero visibility, the 100 Km hrs speed wind,and the absolute impossible snow conditions…everything was against us! At the end it is possible to say that the objectives wereachieved, all the participants had a better comprehen-sion of what is the mountain winter environment andwhich preparation, training and equipment are neces-sary to cope with it specially in bad weather conditionsand so, tired but completely satisfied, everybody cameback to Solbiate happy of this experience.

An amazing sight of the winter training area. Ready for a glorious downhill ski run.

Morning meeting at the IT Army Logistic Base of Passo del Tonale.

A lot of snow really.

The current HQ originate from the historical “Mantova”Division born from “Mantova” Brigade, which was ini-tially established in 1915 in the city bearing the samename.That unit took part in World War I and was deployedalong Trentino, Carsico and PO river fronts. TheBrigade fought bravely and, for that reason, was men-tioned on the War Bulletin. At the end of conflict, onNovember 1919, the Unit was disbanded. By thebeginning of the World War II, the unit was re-establi-shed as 104th motor-carried“Mantova” Division and wasemployed in the coastal defencebetween Cosenza, Nicastro andCatanzaro.Following the armistice, on 1943September the 8th , the unit re-shaped itself as “partisan combatgroup” fighting with the Anglo-American Allies.At the end of the war, “Mantova”re-gained Divisional level and wasbased, until 1947, in differentsites located in Emilia Romagna,Lombardia, Liguria and, finally, inFriuli – Venezia Giulia for themonitoring of North EastNational borders.In 1947 September the 16th ,“Mantova” Division entered thecity of Gorizia, which had beenre-gained by Italy for a secondtime.

In 1986 October the 1st , the unit was turned intoa mechanized Brigade and was employed in severalimportant operations on the national territory asOperation “Forza Paris” in Sardinia, Operation“Testuggine” along North East boundaries andOperation “Vespri Siciliani” in Sicily.In august 1997 “Mantova” Brigade was disbanded,according to government measures concerningthe reduction and rationalization of the ItalianArmy. Finally, in June 2002, the current HQ Division“Mantova” was established and assigned to theNATO Rapid Deployable Corps HQ in Solbiate Olona,for the planningand execution ofCrisis ResponseO p e r a t i o n s(“……..to be prepa-red to deploy as

NATO RAPID REACTIONFORCE under NRDC-ITOPCOM in order tocommand a Unit atDivisional level for conducting the final and decisivebattle and for ensuring the military presence in thetransition and stabilization phase……”). The HQ“Mantova” Division is currently located in VittorioVeneto, a small town not far from Venice (in theNorth-Est of Italy). The new Divisional HQ is assigned to

two different chain of command:

- Peace time when the Division ispart of the depending nationalchain of command. This includesthe Ital ian Operational LandForces Command with its 4subordinate HQ at Corps leveldealing mainly with national trai-ning and mounting issues.“Mantova” Division is part of oneof these HQ Corps only for admi-nistrative matters.

- Training and operations, whenwe have a different chain ofcommand. In this case we havethe IT Joint HQ, at the centrallevel, the NRDC-IT at Corp leveland the Division. In this case therelationship of Command isOPCON. If NRDC-IT and theDivision are deployed abroad forNATO mission the relation of

Maj Gen Mauro MOSCATELLI,Commander of Mantova Div.

Mantova

14

by Capt S. ELISEO, Chief PI Mantova Div.

command change just for NRDC-IT that is underOPCOM of NATO HQ. In case of deployment for opera-tions the Division will receive under OPCON three

Brigades (“SASSARI” Brigade, “AOSTA” Brigade and“Julia” Brigade) and Divisional Troops for combat andcombat service support.

In order to accomplish the assigned mission HQ“Mantova” Division has two different levels of establi-shment depending on the situation:- PEACE,- CRISIS.Till now only the PEACE establishment has been appro-ved by IT Army General Staff. Since its constitution the HQ Division has been taskedto provide cells for different exercises. In particular,during the exercise “DRAWSKO 2003” the Division Staffhad the first opportunity to test the deployment ofthe Division CP in terms of vehicles, computers andcommunication systems. The last exercise, chronologi-cally speaking, has been the “ARRCADE FUSION 03”where the Division participated either in the planningactivity and the exercise with a team of Staff Officersthat has been sent as angmentees for the HQ “AQUI”Division that was directly involved in the exercise astraining audience.As part of this important training process, some offi-cers of this HQ have been and are currently deployedin Iraq (in the Multinational Division S-E in Bassora andin the National Contingent Command HQ ) and inKosovo ( in KFOR HQ in Pristina).

15

Division

In an earlier edition of this magazine, the Secretary ofthe HQ Sports Board, Maj Marco Stoccuto, produced anexcellent article explaining the role of the Sports Boardas a focus for activity coordination and a catalyst forfacilities and event development. That has continuedto be our main thrust and was certainly what wehoped to achieve in 2003. Unfortunately for MajStoccuto much of his time in 2003 was spent in Iraqand so, in my capacity as the Activities Coordinator, thetask falls to me to pen a few words.

Firstly, it is fair to say that we probably achieved ourmain outputs of developing activities and facilities. Inthe case of the latter, the internal structure of thegymnasium now provides an excellent cross section ofwhat one would expect in a first class complex.Individuals can use running and cycling equipment,

weight rooms and a large, well appointed main hall forindoor volleyball, football, basketball or tennis. If youslide back the large, exterior doors to the building youcan do all of this in the shadow of Monte Rosa! Outsidethe work was completed on putting down 2 astroturfsurfaces in the old tennis courts and refurbishing theirperimeters. Both tennis and 5 a side football are nowpossible when the weather is good, which it is most ofthe time, and we still retain the undersized grass pitchwhich is used very regularly by the football squad.Their full sized pitch is due for laying in 2004.

In terms of activities, we have concentrated on jointlysupporting individual competitions within the UgoMara Cup and the weekly events that have gone fromstrength to strength; Golf, Running, Cycling, Footballand Basketball.

INTRODUCTION AND FACILITIES

Sports

16

A scene from the soccer game between NRDC-IT vs. ARRC.

Golf by LTCOuerwerling OICGolf

On Wednesday 22Oct 2003 at LeRobinie GolfCourse, adjacentto Ugo MaraCaserma, we heldthe 3rd Ugo MaraBarracks GolfTournament. 17Golf players(including oneLady) of 5 nationsplayed in a 18hole competitionfor the Ugo MaraGolf Trophy.

Again the weather was beautiful and the first flightstarted at 12:15 hour. The weather and the wonderfulcondition of the course challenged the players andremarkable scores were made. At 16:45 hour all flightswere again back in the clubhouse and the final scorescalculated. 2 players finished with the same score butafter a count back LTC Ouwerling (NL) was announcedas the winner. The prizes were presented by the COMNRDC-IT, General Castagnetti, who also participatedand played a very good round. After a drink everybodyreturned home with a satisfied feeling of having had awonderful afternoon at the Golf course.

Individual ActivitiesIndividual ActivitiesThe 4th tournament in 2004 is currently planned for the5 May, and we hope to have even more participants.

Football OIC – SSgt Coles PA to DComd

Football continues to go from strength to strength,with training and practice games run on Tuesdays andThursdays weekly. A nucleus of over 20 personnelregularly attend this training, and due to the genero-sity of the fund manager, they now have a suitablestrip and equipment. To provide a focus for 2003, theteam was invited to travel to Rheindahlen to play ouropposite numbers in the HQ ARRC. The trip took placeat the end of November and, surrounded by a busy

by Lt Col D G PROCTOR SO1 G6 Ops/HQ Sports Activities Coordinator

17

Activities

NRDC-IT Volley-ball team practicing in the HQ Gym.

UGO MARA COMPETITION

The backbone of our sporting activities has undoub-tedly been the Ugo Mara Competition. This involves 7teams; Ops Div 1 and 2, Engr Branch, Sp Div, RSC,Central Staffs, and G6/HQ 1 Sig Bde, competing in avariety of events including Swimming/Water Polo,Football (Indoor and Outdoor), Basketball, Volleyball,Tennis, Triathlon, and Cross Country. In 2003 our workprogramme placed a burden on what we could achie-ve and as a consequence only Football, Volleyball andBasketball were competed for, and the swimmingresult of late 2002 was taken into consideration forthe final result. In the end the league table lookedsomething like this:

programme of activities and social training games, theNRDC(IT) HQ team won 3-2 in a close fought game. For2004, on the departure of the current OIC, SSgt ColesUK A, who has done an outstanding job in his 2 yearsto provide the platform for this activity, the responsi-bility will fall to Sgt Parry UK A to continue themomentum.

Basketball Coordinator – SSgt Krappas GR

Each week the basketballers go quietly and regularlyabout their business. In just a short time they havecreated a thriving group of players who can use theexcellent facilities in the gymnasium. In 2003 theywere undoubtedly enhanced by the arrival of themajority of the USA contingent to the headquarters, acountry that really knows how to play the game. Morerecently, through the efforts of Captain GiovanniBoggeri, they also now have new strips. The plan forthe forthcoming year is to compete externally.

Unfortunately the first event of 2004, Football 5 aside, had to be postponed as it came at the start ofthe move to our new headquarters building. This is re-planned for the 27/28 April. The remainder have beenspread across the calendar and published widelythrough a poster campaign. The intent, as for lastyear, is to present the Ugo Mara Trophy at theCommander’s Christmas presentation in December.

In conclusion, the facilities exist and the structure isthere for excellent sport. The will to compete andenjoy the activities is also undoubtedly there. Mostimportantly, we have the nucleus of volunteers to pro-vide the planning, administration and coordination ofall those events and opportunities. To them we arevery grateful.

Position Team Points Events Won

1 Support Div 23 Volleyball

2 Operations Div Team 1 22 Basketball

3 Central Staffs 19 Football Outdoor

4 Operations Div Team 2 18 Swimming

5 Engr Branch 14 Football Indoor

6 G6/HQ 1 Sig Bde 13

7 RSC 7

The Rear Support Command (RSC/G9) Divis ioncompr ises the RSC Branch and the C IMIC-G9Branch of the HQ NRDC- I T. I n ba rracks , i tperforms the normal staff functions of a staffdiv is ion, contr ibuting to the development ofoperational planning and capability across the fullspectrum of mission sets. Manned at just 48 offi-cers and soldiers, the staff is both multinationaland multi-functional, with Brigadier General NGrammatikopoulos (Hel lenic Army) as Divis ionchief, and staff members from Italy, Greece, UK,Hungary the Netherlands and Spain. We are acolourful team, as shown in the photograph. Onoperations, the Division splits to produce a RearSuppor t Command CP – compr i s ing theOperations, Logistic and Movements CoordinationCells, with an embedded CIMIC-G9 team – andalso produces the CIMIC cell for the Main HQ. It isa reflection of the importance of Civil – MilitaryCooperation in emerging operations that the verysmall staff is in high demand in both Command

Posts…and is likely to play a lea-ding role in the majority ofmiss ion se t s fo r theNATO Response Force.

When dep loyedthe RearS u p p o r tC o m m a n dplays a cen-t ra l ro le inp r e p a r i n gthe Corpsfor opera -t ions . F i r s tIn, Last Out isour motto…wearrive as part ofthe Ea r l y Ent rypackage, and leaveonce the Corps i ssafely redeployed to homelocat ions . Ea r l y a r r i va l i n a

Theat re o fOpera t ions i sessent i a l i f theD iv i s ions andBr igades of theCorps a re to berece ived , s tagedand onwardmoved in a timely,eff ic ient manner,and the RearSupport CommandCP has theresponsibi l i ty forcoord inat ing theprocess with any Host Nation and the NationalSupport E lements of the Troop Contr ibut ingNations. Of course, the work of the RSC CP is notl im i ted to Recept ion S tag ing and OnwardMovement. As the only LCC CP in the Joint RearArea, the Rear Support Command has the respon-s ib i l i t y to represent the LCC (NRDC- I T )Commander’s interests in the area, as well as dea-l ing w i th the Med ia , imp lement ing theInformation Operation for the JRA, sourcing con-tracts in coordination with the National SupportElements, ensuring that the Air and Sea Ports ofdisembarkation are working to capacity in sup-

port of the deployment plan, and evenseeking to promote multinational

logist ic solut ions betweenthe Troop Contributing

Nations. More over, asan operation con-

cludes, the RearS u p p o r t

C o m m a n dmust p l anand coord i -na te thee x t r a c t i o nof the Corpsf rom theArea of

Operations aswell. In delive-

ring this primaryfunct ion a l l staff

ce l l s o f the RearSuppor t Command

must operate as a single,integrated whole. The CIMIC-G9

Rear Support Command

18

Brig Gen Nick GrammatikopoulosRSC Commander.

REAR SUPPORT COMMAND CP HASTHE RESPONSIB IL ITY FORCOORDINATING THE PROCESS WITHANY HOST NAT ION AND THENATIONAL SUPPORT ELEMENTS OFTHE TROOP CONTRIBUTING NATIONS

by BG N. GRAMMATIKOPOULOS, GR Army RSC Commander

Rear Support Command

19

team has to integrate the capabilitiesof the civil authorities, Host Nation,IOs/NGOs , w i th the e ffor t s o f theMovements and Logistic teams whowork to coord ina te the Nat iona lSuppor t E lements , wh i l e theOperat ions team produce the f ra-mework for intelligence collection andforce protection. Not least, and mostchal lenging, i s the requirement towork in close cooperation with HostNation authorities and all International

Organisations and Non-GovernmentalOrganisations that will be present inthe Joint Rear Area – a number run-ning routinely into hundreds! In all, acons iderab le t a sk fo r a sma l l – i fhighly motivated – staff!

The RSC Division also enthusiasticallysupports a number of social events,other HQ activities, like the HQ sportsprogram, produc ing the Ugo Maragolf champion and coming close run-

ners-up in the Swimming, Volleyball and Football competi-tions…and we still make time for work!

Interpreting the feelings of my personnel, I get the impres-sion that all we need now is ‘this HQ undertakes a mission toany of the crisis areas’.

RSC Staff working on board of the Rapid Reaction Train.

RSC Staff receive the last details before boarding the Rapid Reaction Train.

GEO Branch

20

The Geo Branch is part of the ENG Division within HQNRDC-IT. The section is led by the Chief GeographicOfficer who is responsible for briefing COMNRDC-IT oneffects of the terrain in the AI/AO during the “MissionAnalysis” phase of the Military Decision Making Process(MDMP). This is done using the three sections withinthe branch, these are, Terrain Analysis, DATA Collectionand Map Supply. Its overall Aim is to provideGeographic support to all branches within HQ NRDC-IT.

Terrain Analysis.

Terrain Analysis (TERA) is the most important functionfor the GEO section. It is a dynamic process of collec-ting, analysing and evaluating geographic informationon the natural and man made features of the terrain,together with its interpretation, to provide predictiveinformation and advice about the effect of the terrainon military operations.

Capabilities.

To support this analysis the Geo section can providethe following products:

1. Cross Country Movement (CCM). The terrain isassessed and classified as one of the following;

a. “Go”- Areas of good off-road movement.

b. “Slow Go/Restricted”-Areas of which could possi-bly reduce the speed of vehicle movement off-road.

c. “No Go/Severely Restricted”-Areas of whichthere is very little if any possible off-road move-ment.

It must be noted that the above classifications refer toarmoured formations and not to singular vehicles.

CROSS COUNTRY MOVEMENT (CCM).

2. Obstacles. A Database of all known obstacles eithermanmade or natural such as, rivers, canals, built-upareas, embankments and minefields (both enemy &friendly) etc, is to be maintained. This can then beplotted every 24 hours or as required in the formof an overlay and distributed as necessary.

3. Battlefield Damage Assessment. A Database of allknown Air strikes and Artillery strikes (both enemy& friendly) is to be maintained. This again can thenbe plotted every 24 hours or as required in theform of an overlay and distributed as necessary.

4. Task Specific. Site assessments such as concealmentfor harbour areas, river crossing sites, beach lan-ding sites, airdrop zones, helicopter landing zones,together with visible area determinations such asmasked area plots, line of sight analysis, perspectiveand oblique views and virtual fly throughs.

SPATIAL PROFILE.

PERSPECTIVE/OBLIQUE VIEW.

by Maj NOZZOLI, IT Army Engineer DIV

GEO Branch

21

Data Collection.

To enable the production and upkeep of all the abovethe Geo section must collect data to create and upda-te a Geo Database from various sources which mayinclude raster images (maps, satellite and aerial photo-graphy), vector data (VMAP) and matrix data(DTED/DTM). This database will include all or some ofthe following information:

a. Vegetation-type: assessment on coverage, den-sity, thickness, height, etc.

b. Surface configuration-soil type, gradient, effectsdue to weather, etc.

c. Communications-road & rail network.

d. Manmade features-urban areas, dams, bridges,airports, etc.

e. Hydrography-rivers, canals, width, depth, flowrate, flood prediction, etc.

Map Supply.

The Geo Section is also responsible for coordinatingmap supply to the HQ and to its subordinate forma-tions. To aid the supply to the HQ a map store is beingbuilt up, initially it will hold stocks of any area the HQ is

tasked to monitor,at the fo l lowingscales; 1:1 000,000,1:500,000 and1:250,000. There isno intention to holdsmaller scales howe-ver these can beobtained in order tosupport specific mis-sion related productswhere the level ofdetail is critical.

Equipment.

Within the barracksthe Geo sectionsequipment consistsof three standalone workstations with ARCVIEW GIS 3.3and ERDAS IMAGINE 8.6 software together with an A0scanner, two A0 plotters and one GPS receiver hand-held.

The field deployable Geo system is known as “GEO TACPRINT”, consisting of two flatbed vehicles with NBCprotected box bodies mounted on the back togetherwith a tow able generator. One contains two worksta-tions together with two A0 plotters (UNIX based); theother contains one workstation, A0 scanner, A3 and A4plotters (Windows based). All the workstations containthe same software as the office bound equipment andare linked by fibre optic cables.

Summary.

Above is only the main tasks that the GEO sectiondoes, it is capable of a lot more, products can be tailormade for almost any requirement or scenario. If youhave any questions no matter how trivial or major theymay be please contact the GEO section who will beonly to glad to answer them.

Geo Branch field equipment.

Geo Shelter

An inside view of the working positions on the GeoTac Print Shelters.

New Building Completed

22

When in 2001 the High Readiness Force Hqs was establi-shed at Ugo Mara Barracks in Solbiate Olona a lot has tobe achieved, in particular from the infrastructure pointof view.

The base had been hosting the 33rd logistic regimentfor many years and its infrastructure and facilities wereideal for a small staff but not for satisfing a Corps head-quarter staff, a Brigade staff and a Support regiment: acommunity of about 1400 people.

Now, thirtymonths laterthe new head-quarters buil-ding, namedStar Ship, hasbeen finallyc o m p l e t e dand all thestaff hasalready movedin. Now wecan enjoy newoffices, betterworking spa-ces, all theNATO CIS servi-ces and mostof all the factthat we arealocated in onebuilding under the same roof.This is just a portion of all the projects achieved; the firstone was the light building for the Signal Brigade head-quarters and the national support element (NSE): amodular structure with about 200 offices that was com-

Ugo Mara Barracks – Work In “Great” Progress!!!!

The main entrance of the new HQ building “Star Ship”.

by Ltc R. CRISTONI, Chief PI

pleted in six months only, thanks tothe ability of the Air Force Engineerdetachment; then the full renova-tion of the Officer’s club, nick name“little White House”, now capable ofhosting parties and official andsocial events, a nice place wherefamilies can stay together.The latest work completed is thenew entrance, a double gatesystem that allows easy and fast in-out movement and an increasedsecurity.Very soon another importantproject will be ready to be inaugu-rated: a parking lot for 600 vehiclesthat will grant parking to all thepersonnel working at the Ugo Marabarracks.This is the state of the art for “UgoMara” barracks waiting for the big-gest challenge to start, as soon aspossible: the Monterosa village; a200 independent houses complexthat will completely change theimage and the life of the barracks.

23

New Building Completed

The corridors of the new building. Information board.

24

The NATO RapidD e p l o y a b l e

Corps – Italyis the onlyNRDC HQsto havereceivedsince thev e r yb e g i n -ning of

its l ife,one MSU

unit as affilia-ted one; MSU is

the acronym ofM u l t i n a t i o n a l

Specialized Unit. In such context, NRDC-IT owns twodedicated offices to let MSU execute all tasks receivedby COM NRDC-IT at its utmost: SPOA branch andG3OPSMSU cell. SPOA branch (Security and Public OrderAdvisor) is responsible to liaise between COMNRDC-IT

and COMMSU duringdeployment of the unitand to set up the condi-tions for MSU to fullyaccomplish its missionby assisting in the wri-ting of agreements.During deployment

SPOA branch is in charge to liaise with police and civildepartments, IO NGOand other agencies inof which MSU may pro-vide support. The bran-ch must also provideadvice to theCOMNRDC-IT and to thestaff, about mattersinvolving public orderand public security.Within OperationDivision G3OPSMSU cellrepresent the operativeharm of the comman-der how to best useMSU. It is not by chancethat a Carabinieri officeris running this cell. Theextreme specialization of the unit and the likely sensiti-ve impact on both the Force and environment in

which it is operating,request personnelcoming from its ownhart, capable of assessingin real time likely conse-quences over forecoming operations. Thecell also joins the SPOAbranch in spreadingthroughout NRDC-IT andsubordinated Units theMSU capabilities and inparticular the concept ofoperation depicted on the ground by the blue boxconcept. This implies the predominance of the specia-lization over the rank. Within such area (Blue Box), MSUunit commander has the full command of all unitseventually supporting its personnel. Outside this area,MSU unit is under the area commander.

The history of MSU lies during the war in Bosnia, inFebruary 1998, when some Foreign Ministers fromNATO, decided to build up a multinational specializedunit (MSU), made of police forces, militarily organized,capable of facing high risk situations coming from civildisorder, during post-conflict operations and PeaceSupport Operation. Italy was the leading Nation andthe CARABINIERI Corps was tasked to organize andprovide the first MSU Unit at regiment level, depen-ding straight from the Force Commander. Othernations joined the MSU and today the unit is operating

in Bosnia, Kosovo andIraq.

The unit, at Regimentalsize, consists of policeforces with military sta-tus that performs poli-ce duties including civildisturbance operations.MSU companies andplatoons perform taskssuch as crowd controloperations, informationgathering and presencepatrol. A SWAT team issuited for special ope-rations including hosta-ge rescue, anti sniperactivities etc…

Maneuver unit performs special information gatheringand police investigations, Parachutist squads are spe-

Mr SOLANA former NATO Sec Gen, Gen Clark, former SACEUR,with BG Leonardo LESO, first MSU Commander.

CAPABLE OF FACING HIGHRISK SITUATIONS COMINGFROM CIVIL DISORDER,DURING POST-CONFLICTOPERATIONS AND PEACESUPPORT OPERATION

MSU, the 3rd Millennium Force

by Maj CC T. MOTT, NRDC-IT HQ SPOA

MSU Multinational

25

MSU while patrolling a road in AN NASSIRYA in southern IRAQ.

cially trained troops who normally provide security andsupport for the companies and the SWAT team duringtheir operations; Police dogs teams are trained forexplosive or drug detection or defense and attackagainst designed individuals.

Italy as frameworkNation has experi-mented in theBalkans and inmany other coun-tries the originalMSU formula, amilitary Force inpossession ofpolice capability. Itis still operating inmany areas bycontributing to amilitary presenceand assisting inpromoting orm a i n t a i n i n gPublic Security.

It is really the 3rdMillennium Force. Shoulder badge adopted by all MSU

Units and Formations.

A MSU representative discuss the security situationwith a member of the Staff.

Specialized Unit

17th December 2003Visit of BG (P) Ricky LYNCH,

AFSOUTH J3

Visits and Events

26

18th November 2003Remembrance for the Italian fallen soldiers in IRAQ

15nd January 2004Visit of Gen Henri BENTEGÉAT, French Chief

of Defence accompanied by IT CHOD

2th December 2003Officers delagation of the IT Army Selected Reserve

2nd February 2004Visit of Mr Giovanni BRAUZZI,

NRDC-IT Political Advisor16st December 2003

Visit of Maj Gen Thomas TURNER, US A,SETAF Commander

27

Visits and Events

11nd March 2004Spanish flag at half pole to commemorate the

victims of the terrorist attack in Madrid

3nd February 2004Visit of Lt Gen Nikolaos NTOUVAS,

GR B Corps Commander

28nd February 2004Carnival celebration for the families of the corps

5nd February 2004Visit of Mr Douglas McElhaney,

US Consul in Milan

10nd March 2004Visit of Gen Bernard THORETTE, Chief of the French Army

9nd February 2004Visit of Lt Gen Norbert VAN HEYST,

GE-NL Corps Commander

A Receipe of

28

Greece is located in south-eastern Europe, protrudinginto the Mediterranean Sea east of Italy. About one fifthof the land that makes up Greece is islands. Almost thetotal population is ethnic Greek.

Although there are cross connections between thefood of Greece and other Middle Eastern countries,Greek cuisine has stubbornly survived. It stands alonetoday as a strong, vibrant cuisine, — a testament toendurance.

Like the people, the cuisine of Greece is unique.Regional gastronomic differences do exist in this coun-try; but experts do not draw culinary delineationsthroughout the Greek countryside as they do in otherWestern European countries. The Greeks are proud oftheir national cuisine as a whole.

The Greeks are credited with laying the foundation forthe culinary arts. The first Greek chefs were highlyregarded, developing original cooking techniques andinitiating the dining experience. They are also creditedwith the introduction of the toque -- the chef's hat.

Greek cuisine, whether frugal or bountiful, has moldedand developed along with the customs, and traditionsof the Greek people. It is characteristic of the Greeks tocelebrate their joys, to sweeten their sorrows, and toassuage their struggles by eating and drinking in thecompany of family and friends.

Customs also are tied closely to the distribution of spe-cial edibles, such as Koufeta (Candy Coated Almonds) atbaptisms and weddings, or Koliva (Boiled Wheat) atfunerals. Each important feast during the year, such asChristmas, the Annunciation, Easter, and theAssumption of the Blessed Virgin, has its own specialty.Orthodox Greeks, as devout people, eat specific foodson fasting days during the year depending on the sea-son (winter, spring, summer, autumn) and dependingon what Greek soil has to offer at that particular timeof the year.

Before Lent, during Carnival time, preparations beginfor the most important period of fasting. Meat isallowed during the first week which is referred to as"Kreatinis". Only milk products are allowed during thesecond week called "Tirinis". A sweet smell of cheeseand milkpites per-meates theair of thehomes ofGreek hou-s e w i v e swho prepa-re the pitesaccordingto the tra-dition oftheir fore-f a t h e r s .Fish and seafood can be eaten during the Annunciationand Palm Sunday, which fall during Lent. Keeping upthe tradition, during the feast of the Annunciation, inmost Greek homes housewives prepare Bakaliaro PastoTiganito ke Skordalia (Fried Salted Cod and Garlic Sauce)for the holiday meal.

On Holy Thursday the custom is to color Easter eggsand bake Tsoureki (Easter Sweet Bread). Out of the kit-chens a smell of vinegar fills the air since vinegar isnecessary for the color to set on the eggs. Some of thecolored eggs are used to decorate the Sweet EasterBread. The others are placed in glass bowls or inbaskets on the living room table, filling the house withthe spirit of Easter. Another custom which housewivesstill observe is to refrain from lighting a fire or cookingon Good Friday. The meal, prepared the day before, isquite simple, usually consisting of lentils boiled in plainwater, vinegar, and oregano, and served with olives,scallions, and halva, all considered fasting food.

Nowhere else in the world can the spirit of the HolyResurrection of Christ be felt as it is expressed inGreece. All the preparations for Easter: the characteristicfoods of this important holiday, the Red-Colored Eggs,the Arni sti Souvla (Lamb on the Spit), the Kokoretsi(Lamb Entrails Grilled on the Spit), the Mayeritsa (EasterSoup), together with the cheerful tolling of the bells,the liturgy in church, the pure white candles with theirflames dancing in unison, all this and more, make onefeel from within the uniqueness and magnificence ofthis feast. Easter is the feast that, more than any other,makes the migrating Greeks return to their homeland toroast the lamb on the spit and to crack the red Eastereggs with their families.

Tipical food from Geece.

Tipical food from Geece.

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International Food

Ingredients:

1 1/2 lb. Potatoes1 cup Olive Oil

1 1/2 lbs. Ground Beef1 finely chopped Onion1 minced Garlic

1 1/2 lb. Aubergines2 tablespoons Butter3 peeled and chopped Tomatoes2 teaspoons Salt

dash of Pepper2 tablespoons, toasted Breadcrumbs3 Eggs

ParsleyBéchamel Sauce

1/2 lb. Cottage Cheese1/2 cup Kefalotiri Cheese

Mousakas

Method:

♦ Cut aubergines into 1/3 inch slices. Heat oil in a largefrying pan and fry aubergine slices a few at a time,until slightly browned. Do the same with the potatoes.

♦ Sauté the meat, onion, and garlic in the butter. Addtomatoes, salt and pepper. Cover and cook, over a lowheat, for 30 minutes. Remove from heat and addbreadcrumbs, 1 beaten egg and chopped parsley.

♦ Prepare béchamel sauce; add remaining eggs andcheeses.

♦ Butter a baking dish and sprinkle with breadcrumbs.Put one layer of potatoes into the baking dish. Coverwith half the meat mixture. Alternate aubergine andmeat mixture. Top with béchamel sauce and bake.

On August 6th, Transfiguration Day, today in the villagechurches, one still can see worshippers carrying basketsoverflowing with grapes which they bring to be blessedand which later are distributed among the congregation.Before that day no one yet has tasted the sweet fruit.

In September, when the grapes are crushed and themust starts to ferment, the housewives in every homebake Moustokouloura (Must Biscuits) and Moustalevria(Fresh Wine Must Pudding).

On December 4th, the feast of St. Barbara, many hou-sewives still keep the old custom of distributing amongneighbors Varvara, a pudding-like cream made out ofwheat, sprinkled with walnuts and cinnamon.

Christmas is the most important feast of Christianityafter Easter. Throughout the centuries Christmas alsohas been linked closely to traditional Greek cooking. Allsweet shops decorate their windows with mounds ofKourabiedes (Holiday Butter Cookies) andMelomakarona (New Year Cookies). A delectable aromafills the air of every home kitchen where women makeKataifi, Baklava, Diples, Christopsomo, the traditionalRoast Lamb with Potatoes and the Savory Turkey stuf-fed with chestnuts and pine nuts.

A few days before the Christmas holidays are over, pre-parations begin for New Year's Eve. One of the fewcustoms which is kept just as alive today as in the pastin all Greek homes is the cutting of the Vasilopita (NewYear's Bread). In the past, despite the fact that peoplewere poorer, the coin in the Vasilopita was always a goldone. Today the gold coin has been replaced by a small,common metal coin. However, each one of us believesin the good fortune that the coin will bring if it happensto be in our slice of Vasilopita. On New Year's Eve, aftereating, every housewife sets her table with scrumptiousfoods -"Kaloudia"-, foods such as Greek pastries, freshand dried fruits, and a variety of nuts. This is done sothat St. Basil (the Greek Santa Claus) will pass by, taste,and bless the food. His blessings will help keep an abun-dance of food all through the year in the home.

These and many more customs, customs such as thesharing of the "Artoklasia", (the five loaves of bread thatthe worshippers bring to church to be blessed on theirname day), the "Fanouropita" kneaded by the unmarrieddaughter in the family, who takes the pita to church onthe feast day of St. Fanourios, with the hope that he inturn will enlighten her as to her fortune, and the formaldinners celebrating the joys of each family, prove howclosely Greek tradition is linked to Greek cuisine.