Brigadier general Ruggiero Capodivento (born 24 July 1963) is a member of the

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, a Romance ethnic group related to or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance languag ...

Carabinieri The Carabinieri (, also , ; formally ''Arma dei Carabinieri'', "Arm of Carabineers"; previously ''Corpo dei Carabinieri Reali'', "Royal Carabineers Corps") are the national gendarmerie of Italy who primarily carry out domestic and foreign poli ...

, 20th and 26th Commander of the Multinational Specialized Unit, and Commander of the international military mission "MIADIT 16", in

Djibouti Djibouti, officially the Republic of Djibouti, is a country in the Horn of Africa, bordered by Somalia to the south, Ethiopia to the southwest, Eritrea in the north, and the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden to the east. The country has an area ...

. He is currently serving as deputy commander of the Carabinieri Legion "

Toscana Tuscany ( ; ) is a region in central Italy with an area of about and a population of 3,660,834 inhabitants as of 2025. The capital city is Florence. Tuscany is known for its landscapes, history, artistic legacy, and its influence on high cu ...

Military career

He joined the

in 1983 with the rank of ''carabiniere ausiliario''. He attended the

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 ...

between 1984 al 1986, acquiring the rank of sub-lieutenant. Then, he completed the military studies at the Carabinieri Officers' School of Rome. In 1988 he was promoted

lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a Junior officer, junior commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations, as well as fire services, emergency medical services, Security agency, security services ...

and was chosen as commander of a platoon of cadets at the Carabinieri

Marshal Marshal is a term used in several official titles in various branches of society. As marshals became trusted members of the courts of Middle Ages, Medieval Europe, the title grew in reputation. During the last few centuries, it has been used fo ...

School of

Florence Florence ( ; ) is the capital city of the Italy, Italian region of Tuscany. It is also the most populated city in Tuscany, with 362,353 inhabitants, and 989,460 in Metropolitan City of Florence, its metropolitan province as of 2025. Florence ...

. From 1990 to 1991 he led the Criminal Investigation Team of the Carabinieri Company of

Mestre Mestre () is a borough of the comune of Venice on the mainland opposite the historical island city in the region of Veneto, Italy. Administratively, Mestre forms (together with the nearby Carpenedo) the Municipalità di Mestre-Carpenedo, one ...

(VE, Italy). At the end of 1991 he is promoted to the rank of

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...

and he is appointed to the command of the Carabinieri Company of

Reggio Emilia Reggio nell'Emilia (; ), usually referred to as Reggio Emilia, or simply Reggio by its inhabitants, and known until Unification of Italy, 1861 as Reggio di Lombardia, is a city in northern Italy, in the Emilia-Romagna region. It has about 172,51 ...

. In 1997 he moved to the Carabinieri Company of

Pozzuoli Pozzuoli (; ; ) is a city and (municipality) of the Metropolitan City of Naples, in the Italian region of Campania. It is the main city of the Phlegrean Peninsula. History Antiquity Pozzuoli began as the Greek colony of ''Dicaearchia ...

(NA, Italy), as the commander of the unit. In the next years he is promoted to rank of

major Major most commonly refers to: * Major (rank), a military rank * Academic major, an academic discipline to which an undergraduate student formally commits * People named Major, including given names, surnames, nicknames * Major and minor in musi ...

and led a section at the Carabinieri Officers' School of

Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...

. From 2004 to 2009 he is detached as a staff officer at General Defence Headquarters in Rome. In 2004 he is deployed in

Sarajevo Sarajevo ( ), ; ''see Names of European cities in different languages (Q–T)#S, names in other languages'' is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Bosnia and Herzegovina, largest city of Bosnia and Herzegovina, with a population of 2 ...

for the

NATO The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO ; , OTAN), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental organization, intergovernmental Transnationalism, transnational military alliance of 32 Member states of NATO, member s ...

mission

SFOR The Stabilisation Force (SFOR) was a NATO-led multinational peacekeeping force deployed to Bosnia and Herzegovina after the Bosnian War. Although SFOR was led by NATO, several non-NATO countries contributed troops. It was replaced by EUFOR Alt ...

(

Bosnia Herzegovina Bosnia and Herzegovina, sometimes known as Bosnia-Herzegovina and informally as Bosnia, is a country in Southeast Europe. Situated on the Balkans, Balkan Peninsula, it borders Serbia to the east, Montenegro to the southeast, and Croatia to th ...

). In 2005, he is promoted to the rank of lieutenant colonel. In 2009 he is promoted to

colonel Colonel ( ; abbreviated as Col., Col, or COL) is a senior military Officer (armed forces), officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, a colon ...

and the same year is assigned to the Carabinieri Training Schools’ Command in Rome as departmental chief. From 2012 to 2013 he was detached to

Kochi Kochi ( , ), List of renamed Indian cities and states#Kerala, formerly known as Cochin ( ), is a major port city along the Malabar Coast of India bordering the Laccadive Sea. It is part of the Ernakulam district, district of Ernakulam in the ...

(

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

) as the

officer for the international controversy of the Enrica Lexie case. In 2013 he commanded the Carabinieri district of

Treviso Treviso ( ; ; ) is a city and (municipality) in the Veneto region of northern Italy. It is the capital of the province of Treviso and the municipality has 87.322 inhabitants (as of December 2024). Some 3,000 live within the Venetian wall ...

and in 2016 he is nominated Chief of Staff of the Carabinieri Legion "

". From 15 September 2018 he has been the 20th Commander of the Multinational Specialized Unit of

KFOR KFOR may refer to: * KFOR (AM), a radio station (1240 AM) licensed to Lincoln, Nebraska, United States, * KFOR-TV, a television station (channel 4 analog/27 digital) licensed to Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, United States, * KFOR-TV (Nebraska), a defun ...

. He ended his service as

- MSU Commander on 16 October 2019 and he was awarded with the Kosovo Medal of Merit from the

Kosovo Police The Kosovo Police (Albanian language, Albanian: ''Policia e'' ''Kosovës'') is the national police, policing law enforcement agency of Kosovo. It was established in 1999 and took its current form with the 2008 police law. It consists of five dep ...

and the

Minister of Internal Affairs An interior minister (sometimes called a minister of internal affairs or minister of home affairs) is a cabinet official position that is responsible for internal affairs, such as public security, civil registration and identification, emergency ...

Ekrem Mustafa and the Presidential Military Medal, the highest

Kosovo Kosovo, officially the Republic of Kosovo, is a landlocked country in Southeast Europe with International recognition of Kosovo, partial diplomatic recognition. It is bordered by Albania to the southwest, Montenegro to the west, Serbia to the ...

military decoration, from the

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Film and television *'' Præsident ...

Hashim Thaçi Hashim Thaçi (; born 24 April 1968) is a Kosovo Albanian politician who was the president of Kosovo from April 2016 until his resignation on 5 November 2020. He was the first prime minister of Kosovo and the Foreign minister and deputy pri ...

. After coming back to

homeland A homeland is a place where a national or ethnic identity has formed. The definition can also mean simply one's country of birth. When used as a proper noun, the Homeland, as well as its equivalents in other languages, often has ethnic natio ...

, in 2019, he returned to be the

Chief of Staff The title chief of staff (or head of staff) identifies the leader of a complex organization such as the armed forces, institution, or body of persons and it also may identify a principal staff officer (PSO), who is the coordinator of the supportin ...

of the Carabinieri Legion "

". On 5 October 2020 he left the position of Chief of Staff to be appointed as the Deputy Commander of the same unit. From 31 January 2022 to 31 May 2022, he has been the Commander of the MIADIT 16, deployed in

, a military mission with the aim to train the

Somali Armed Forces The Somali Armed Forces are the military forces of the Federal Republic of Somalia. Headed by the president as commander-in-chief, they are constitutionally mandated to ensure the nation's sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity. I ...

alongside the local security forces. On the 8th of February, 2023 he came back again to

as Commander of the Multinational Specialized Unit of

. The 26th of July, 2023 he is promoted to brigadier general. During his career, he was the only officer in charge of the

- MSU Regiment in two different years (2019 and 2023) and the only one holding the command with the rank of brigadier general, achieved during his mandate. He served as MSU Commander until the 10th of February 2024. At the end of his mandate the

Mayor of Pristina The mayor of Pristina ( Albanian: Prishtinë; Serbian: Приштина or Priština) is the head of the City of Pristina (capital of Kosovo). The mayor acts on behalf of the city and performs the executive function in the City of Pristina. In th ...

Përparim Rama Përparim Rama (born 20 January 1976) is a Kosovo Albanian architect and urban planner serving as the current Mayor of Pristina since 7 December 2021. His work has been published in London Building Design Magazine and several other internation ...

awarded him the Key to the City, highest decoration of the municipality.Difesa.it - Pristina, consegna delle chiavi della città al Generale Ruggiero Capodivento (in Italian)
/ref> He is currently serving as

of the Carabinieri Legion "

Studies

Graduated in high school as a

chartered building surveyor A Chartered Building Surveyor is a specialist type of Chartered Surveyor involved in all aspects of property and construction, from supervising large mixed-use developments to planning domestic extensions and diagnosing building pathologies. Buildi ...

in 1982 and in

Law Law is a set of rules that are created and are enforceable by social or governmental institutions to regulate behavior, with its precise definition a matter of longstanding debate. It has been variously described as a science and as the ar ...

at the

University of Macerata The University of Macerata () is a public university located in Macerata, Italy. It is one of the oldest universities in Europe that are still functioning. Overview It was founded in 1290 and is one of the oldest in Italy. The various Departmen ...

in 1993. He then obtained a degree in "Security Sciences" at the University of Rome "Tor Vergata" in 2003 and a

Master's degree A master's degree (from Latin ) is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities or colleges upon completion of a course of study demonstrating mastery or a high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional prac ...

in Strategic Sciences at the

University of Turin The University of Turin (Italian language, Italian: ''Università degli Studi di Torino'', UNITO) is a public university, public research university in the city of Turin, in the Piedmont (Italy), Piedmont region of Italy. It is one of the List ...

. He also qualified as a

lawyer A lawyer is a person who is qualified to offer advice about the law, draft legal documents, or represent individuals in legal matters. The exact nature of a lawyer's work varies depending on the legal jurisdiction and the legal system, as w ...

in 1999.

Personal life

He is married and has two sons.

Related voices

* Multinational Specialized Unit

References

External links

*
Official Ruggiero Capodivento's Twitter account
*
Official Ruggiero Capodivento's LinkedIn account
{{DEFAULTSORT:Capodivento, Ruggiero 1963 births Living people Carabinieri generals People of the Kosovo War Military personnel from Florence University of Macerata alumni University of Turin alumni