Biographical Note

Secretary-General Appoints Luciano Portolano of Italy as Head of Mission,

 

Commander of United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon

 

United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today announced the appointment of Major General Luciano Portolano of Italy as Head of Mission and Force Commander of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL).  Major General Portolano will succeed Major General Paolo Serra, also of Italy, who will relinquish his post on 24 July 2014.  The Secretary-General is grateful to Major General Serra for his excellent service and leadership of UNIFIL over the past two years and a half.

Major General Portolano has had a long and distinguished military career since joining the Italian army in September 1981.  Most recently, since September 2012, he served as the Deputy Chief of Staff for Joint Operations in the Italian Armed Forces.  Previously, he was the Commander of Italy’s “ Sassari” Mechanized Brigade prior to serving as the Commander of the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) Regional Command West in Afghanistan.

He also has extensive experience with multinational operations and out of area operational deployments.  In his functions with ISAF, he worked closely with the international community, including the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan in the implementation of Security Council resolutions.  He also served as Commander in Iraq, Kosovo, and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia.  He served as a Military Observer with the United Nations Iraq Kuwait Observation Mission and the United Nations Iran Iraq Observation Group between 1990 and 1992.  He was also Military Attaché at the Italian Embassy in the United Kingdom.

Major General Portolano holds a Bachelor of Arts in strategic sciences, a master’s degree in integrated management system and human resources development and management, and a master’s degree in strategic sciences.

Major General Portolano was born in Agrigento, Italy, in 1960.  He is married and has two children.

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