Biographical Note

MAJOR-GENERAL CLAUDIO GRAZIANO APPOINTED AS FORCE COMMANDER

OF UNITED NATIONS INTERIM FORCE IN LEBANON (UNIFIL)

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has decided to appoint Major-General Claudio Graziano of Italy, as Force Commander of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), to succeed to Major-General Alain Pellegrini, of France, who will relinquish his post on 17 February 2007.

Major-General Graziano was commissioned as an Infantry Officer in 1974 and during his career he has progressed through a variety of operational command and staff appointments at the tactical, operational and strategic levels.

In 1992, he was assigned as Commanding Officer of the Susa Alpine Infantry Battalion in Pinerolo.  In that position he deployed with his battalion in operation UNOMOZ in Mozambique.  In 2004, he was assigned to the Alpine Taurinense Brigade in Turin as Commanding General, position he held until 2006.  During this tour, he served in Afghanistan as Commander Kabul Multinational Brigade within ISAF VIII from July 2005 to February 2006.

He was promoted to Major-General in January 2006 and assigned to the Italian Joint Operations Headquarters in March 2006 as Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations, responsible for the planning, deployment and employment of all the Italian Military Contingents operational missions and tasks, both overseas and in country.

Major-General Graziano is a Mountain Warfare and Ski instructor and is Airborne and Ranger qualified.  He attended both the basic and the advanced command and staff courses at the Italian Army Staff College and is a graduate of the United States Army War College in Carlisle.  He also holds a degree in strategic military studies and two master degrees, one in human sciences from the Catholic University in Rome and one in strategic military sciences.  Most recently he earned a degree in diplomatic sciences from the Trieste University.

Major-General Graziano is married to Signora Marisa.  They have made their home in a village by the sea near Rome.

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For information media • not an official record