Nov 22 2021

NSPA General Manager CONDUCTS first official visit to Italy

LUXEMBOURG - On 15-19 November 2021, NSPA General Manager, Ms. Stacy Cummings, conducted her first official visit to Italy. Ms Cummings visited NATO's Joint Force Command (JFC) in Naples, NSPA's Southern Operational Centre (SOC) in Taranto, participated in the NATO Industry Forum in Rome, and met Italian Chief of Defence Staff and other senior officers at the Italian Ministry of Defence.

During her visit to JFC Naples, she met with the Chief of Staff, Lieutenant General Vasco Angelotti, and other senior officers to discuss support to current operations such as Kosovo, emerging operations support to the NATO Mission in Iraq, and the Agency support to the southern region for deterrence and defence and countering terrorist groups.

From Naples, Ms. Cummings headed to the Southern Operational Centre (SOC) in Taranto, NSPA center of expertise for deployable camps, and met SOC Commander Renato Lepore.

She visited the site facilities and met with the 60 NSPA members of Staff who contribute to the readiness of the nations of the Alliance during exercises and operations, by storing and deploying Capability Packages.

After her visit to the SOC, she visited the Italian Air Force Base Gioia Del Colle, where support areas have been made available for NSPA's use, whether for exercise, training or as an overspill storage use.

NSPA General Manager, Ms. Stacy Cummings, during her visit to NSPA Southern Operational Center.

Italy is a major contributor to NATO and one of our major customers, and I am confident the discussions we had this week will help fostering this cooperation in the future

From Taranto, Ms. Cummings travelled to Rome, where she participated in NATO's Industry Forum. During the session, she had the opportunity to discuss with other keynote speakers from the Armed Forces and the private sector on innovative acquisition to maintain the military edge. She offered her view on defence procurement based on her experience in the U.S. Department of Defense and welcomed NATO's continued effort to adapt to a more complex and more competitive world, touching upon new projects such as the NATO's first Innovation Fund or the NATO's Defence Innovation Accelerator for the North Atlantic (DIANA). She then explained the key roles NSPA can play in innovation, facilitating an unbiased link between Nations and the Industry for the acquisition of multinational, complex systems.

She then had a meeting with Industry and NATO Capability Directors and further visited the Italian Minister of Defence in Rome, where she met with the Italian Chief of Defence Staff Giuseppe Cavo Dragone and other senior officers and discussed NSPA's support to Italy, current projects and further cooperation.

On 19 November 2021, M. Cummings held several meetings at the Italian Ministry of Defence

Story by NATO Support and Procurement Agency

NSPA General Manager CONDUCTS first official visit to Italy

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