The deployment of over 250 men and women of the Alpine Troops of the Italian Army has been completed, who will contribute to the establishment of one of the new four NATO "battlegroups" deployed on the south-eastern flank of the Atlantic Alliance as part of the operation called “Enhanced Vigilance Activity” (eVA).
The Italian contingent that will operate under Hungarian command, is on the Taurinense Alpine Brigade with personnel from the 3rd Alpine Regiment, the 1st Terrestrial Artillery Regiment, the Nizza Cavalry Regiment (1st) and the 32nd Engineers Regiment.
All the departments involved in the eVA operation come from an intense training cycle that saw them participate, only in the last semester, in the exercises "Volpe Bianca 22" in the upper Val di Susa in March, "Cold Response 22" in Norway in April, “Maurin 22” in the upper Maira Valley in May and “Candelo 22” in the Biella area in June, not to mention the continuous training of specialties to live, move and fight in the mountains.
By joining the eVA initiative after the expected parliamentary authorization process, Italy is confirmed as one of the main contributors to strengthening NATO's posture of deterrence and defense on the Eastern flank.
All operational and training activities conducted by the Italian Armed Forces on the south-eastern flank of NATO are arranged by the Chief of Defense Staff, Admiral Giuseppe Cavo Dragone, and carried out under the coordination and according to the directives issued by the Operational Comado di Vertice Interforze ( COVI).