TRAINING AND EDUCATION OF THE ITALIAN ARMY CYBER OPERATORS

Date: 
Wednesday, April 28, 2021
Location: 
Online, video conference
Time: 
4:00PM - 7:00PM

Abstract:

The modern scenario is characterized by deep digitalization, made of an intensive and pervasive use of Information Technology (IT) and Operational Technology (OT). As a consequence, the continuous transformation process of the Italian Army, in terms of organization and capabilities, is influenced by the peculiar characteristics of the above-mentioned current scenario, to fulfill the related operational requirements. Moreover, the Warsaw NATO summit of 2016, where the Alliance recognized the cyberspace as the 5th operational domain in addition to the “traditional” ones, represented a turning point for Italian Defence and, of course, for the Italian Army, boosting its transformation process, including the new domain. Consequently, in 2017 the Italian Army planned the creation of a specialized unit in charge of deploying cybersecurity teams in operations abroad to fulfill both NATO and national requirements. Therefore, after having completed the implementation process started in 2018, the “CyberSecurity Unit” was established within the Signals Command in April 2019 and achieved the Full Operational Capability in June 2020. At the same time, the Army has developed specific guidelines for the education and training of the “Army cyber operators”, in accordance with national policies, and always having extremely clear the key role that human component plays within the cyberspace.

Speakers:

Brigadier General Luigi CARPINETO, Lieutenant Colonel Matteo CAGGIARI, Major Emanuele GABRIELLI and Captain Mario RASO. Captain Andrea GABRIELLI, Captain Vincenzo ZERBO, Leitenant Sonia FORCONI and Corporal First Class Roberto CARDI, will partecipate to the round table that will be held at the end of the presentations.

Brigade General Luigi CARPINETO joined the Army in 1985 with the 167th Military Academy Course and completed his military education in 1990. During his career he served as platoon leader, Coy, Battalion and Regiment Commander within Signals units and, as Staff Officer, was Head Section and Head Office within the CIS Area at the Army General Staff. Once promoted Brigadier General in 2015, he served as Commander of Signals Brigade and Commander of Army Signals Command until 2019, when he was reassigned to the Army General Staff, as Chief of the C5I Systems Branch, his current position. During his career he took part to National, UN and NATO operations abroad. Brig.Gen. Luigi CARPINETO attended the Army Staff Course, the Joint Services Staff College and the US Army Command and General Staff Course. He graduated in “strategic sciences” in Turin and in “international and diplomatic sciences” in Trieste and he attended the respective II level master’s degree programs.

Lieutenant Colonel Matteo CAGGIARI attended the 178th Military Academy Course from 1996 to 1998. Once completed his military education as 2nd Lt., he has been assigned to Signals units as Platoon Leader and Coy Commander from 2001 to 2008. Moreover, he served as Staff Officer to EUROFOR HQ from 2008 to 2011. Then, after having attended the Army Staff Course, in 2011 he was assigned to the Army General Staff where he served as staff officer within the C4I Systems Branch until 2018. After having led a Signals Battalion for one year, in 2019 he was reassigned to the Army General Staff as Head of Cyber and ICT Security Section within the C5I Systems Branch, his current position. During his career, he participated to 4 operations abroad (Afghanistan, Iraq and 2 times in Kosovo) and 1 in Italy, he attended the Army Staff Course, the Joint Services Staff College, he graduated in “strategic sciences” in Turin and achieved the master’s degree in “international strategic-military studies” in Rome.

Major Emanuele GABRIELLI received the the M.Sc. degree in Computer Science from Sapienza University, in 2000 and the Ph.D. degree in Computer Science from University of Genova, in 2008. He worked as System Engineer at IBM Italia from 2000 to 2001 when he joined the Computer Science Department of Sapienza University as System Engineer, his current job. During this period he had a Research contract of one year (2011-2012) with the National Research Council (CNR), he published research papers in international peer reviewed journals and conferences and he was lecturer of the Sapienza Master’s Degree on Information Science. In 2020, he joined the Selected Reserve of the Italian Army as Officer and, since February 2021, he has been assigned to the C5I Systems Branch of the Army General Staff, within the Cyber and ICT Security Section, for 6 months.

Captain Mario RASO in 2002 joined the Italian Army, where he served in the NATO Rapid Deployment Corps - Italy (NRDC-ITA) and in the Italian Defence General Staff – Logistics Branch (R&D office). In 2019 he has been assigned to the C5I Systems Branch of the Army General Staff within the Cyber and ICT Security Section, his current position. During his career, he participated to 2 operations abroad (Afghanistan and Kosovo). He received the Master's degree in Computer Science Engineering in Rome and 2 II level Master’s degree: Cybersecurity & Digital Forensics and mathematical Sciences. He is the author of publications in national and international journals on cryptography.

Captain Andrea GABRIELLI graduated in Computer Sscience in 2005, and achieved his PhD in Computer Science at the University of Rome “Sapienza”, in 2010. From May to November 2004, he was a visiting scientist to the Center for Secure Information System (CSIS) at George Mason University. He published research papers in international peer reviewed journals and conferences and he was lecturer of the Sapienza second level Master in Scientific Computing and Master’s Degree in Mathematics. From 2006 to 2008, he worked as system administrator at Italian Inter-universities Consortium for Supercomputing Applications (CASPUR). In 2008 he joined the Department of Mathematics of the University of Rome “Sapienza”, as system administrator and he is currently head of the “Laboratorio Turing” in the same Department. He joined the Selected Reserve of the Italian Army in 2020 as Officer and on last February he has been assigned to the C5I Systems Branch of the Army General Staff – Army C4 Command within the Cyber Security Section, for 6 months.

Captain Vincenzo Francesco ZERBO joined the army in 2009 with the 191th Military Academy Course and he has been assigned to Signals units as Platoon Leader and Coy Commander. During his career he was deployed as platoon, coy commander and Communication Security Officer within Signals Units employed in multinational operations abroad in Kosovo, Lebanon and Latvia. Once promoted Captain, in 2019, he was assigned to the Army General Staff Communications Centre, as responsible for providing IT Services to all the departments of General Army Staff. Finally, since 2021 he has been serving to Cyber Security Unit of the Army Signals Command. He graduated in “Communication and Strategic Sciences” in Turin and in “Computer Engineering” in Rome.

Lieutenant Sonia FORCONI joined the Italian Army in 2015, when she was assigned to the Nato Modelling and Simulation Centre of Excellence in Rome, where she served till 2017, within the Communications, Networking and Cyber Modelling and Simulation Section. In 2018 she has been assigned to the C5I Systems Branch of the Army General Staff – Army C4 Command, within the Cyber Security Section, where she’s currently serving. She achieved the Master degree in Computer Science Engineering at “Tor Vergata” University of Rome in 2010, the PhD in Telecommunication Engineering at “Tor Vergata” University of Rome in 2016 and the II level Master’s degree in Cybersecurity at “LUISS” University in Rome, in 2020.

Corporal First Class Roberto CARDI joined the army in 2013 as a volunteer. Once completed the military education, he was assigned to the " Nuclear, Biological and Chimical Defense School" in Rieti, where he served as defense specialist. In 2016, he was assigned to 7th Nuclear, Biological and Chimical Defense Regiment in Civitavecchia and he took part to an international military operation in Iraq. In 2019 he was assigned to the newly formed Cyber Security Units of the Army Signals Command in Rome, where he’s currently serving as Army Cyber Operator. In 2020 he took part to a multinational military operation in Kosovo joining the Cyber Operations Cell deployed by the Joint Command for Network Operations. Currently, he is completing the degree studies in computer engineering.

Affiliation: Stato Maggiore dell'Esercito - VI Reparto Sistemi C5I.

Registration: Registration is free. The seminar will be limited to the students from the cybersecurity masters' degree.