Biagio Abrate,

Knight Grand Cross A knight is a person granted an honorary title of a knighthood by a head of state (including the pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the church, or the country, especially in a military capacity. The concept of a knighthood ...

(born 8 November 1949) is a retired Italian general who served as Chief of Defence Staff.

Life and career

Born in

Sant'Albano Stura Sant'Albano Stura is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Cuneo in the Italian region Piedmont, located about south of Turin and about northeast of Cuneo Cuneo (; ; ; ) is a city and in Piedmont, Italy, the capital of the provi ...

, he was admitted at

Military Academy of Modena The Military Academy of Modena () is a military university in Modena, northern Italy. Located in the Ducal Palace of Modena in the historic center of the city, it was the first such military institution to be created in the world. The academy i ...

and he graduated with the rank of tenente in 1974. From 1975 to 1979 he held the posts of platoon and company commander in various battalion of mountain infantry, from 1979 he held a position at the Alpini Formation Center in Aosta. From 1987 to 1990 he had his staff assignment and from 1990 to 1992 he led Bassano alpine infantry battalion in

Innichen Innichen (; ; , all tied to Saint Candidus) is a municipality and a village in South Tyrol in northern Italy. It is located in the Puster Valley on the Drava River, on Italy's border with Austria. It hosts Italy’s International Snow Sculptur ...

. After other staff duties he led Alpine Brigade Taurinense from 1998 to 2000, from July to November 2000 he led Multinational Brigade West in Kosovo. From 2001 to 2007 he led the staff of

Italian Minister of Defence The minister of defence () is a senior member of the Italian Cabinet who leads the Ministry of Defence. The minister is responsible for military and civil defence matters and managing the Italian Armed Forces. The first minister of war was Man ...

serving under 3 different ministers. In 2007 he was named head of the Italian procurement defence agency. In 2010 the Italian president

Giorgio Napolitano Giorgio Napolitano (; 29 June 1925 – 22 September 2023) was an Italian politician who served as President of Italy from 2006 to 2015, the first to be re-elected to the office. In office for 8 years and 244 days, he was the longest-serving pre ...

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

Honour

* : Knight Grand Cross of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic (10 february 2010)

References

, - {{DEFAULTSORT:Abrate, Biagio 1949 births Living people Chiefs of Defence Staff (Italy) People from the Province of Cuneo Knights Grand Cross of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic Recipients of the Maurician medal