The Italian military is participating in the bilateral support mission to the Qatari armed forces to ensure the safety of the soccer world championship
The deployment in Qatar of an inter-force military contingent, led by the Italian Army, in view of the FIFA World Cup 2022, which will be held in the emirate of the Persian Gulf between 21 November and 18 December 2022. The task of the Italian military is to support, together with the contingents of France, the United Kingdom, the United States, Pakistan and Turkey, the Qatari Armed Forces in the implementation of the defense and security system of the world championship.
The Italian Task Force includes about 560 soldiers from the Armed Forces and the Carabinieri with 46 land vehicles, a ship and two aircraft.
In particular, the Army will deploy specialized EOD (Explosive Ordnance Disposal) units, for CBRN defense (from chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear threat) and canine units. The Navy will contribute to the safety of international waters off Doha, with the Multipurpose Offshore Patrol Thaon di Revel, and of the underwater space, near the coast, with an Autonomous Underwater Vehicle of the REMUS type. The Air Force, on the other hand, will contribute to the control of the airspace to counter the possible unauthorized use of mini and micro drones. In fact, a Counter-Unmanned Aerial Anti-drone System (C-UAS) will be deployed consisting of portable jammer devices and the ACUS (AMI Counter UAS) sedentary anti-drone system.
The command on the ground of the operation, called "Oryx" (the Oryx of Arabia is the national animal of Qatar), will be entrusted to Brigadier General Giuseppe Bossa, commander of the "Sassari" Brigade. The national joint force device will have the task of competing and assisting the Emirate's Armed Forces in their work of supervising the safe and regular running of the sporting event. The Italian military will be ready to intervene, in support and at the request of the authorities of the host State, in emergency situations or in the event of hostile acts that may threaten critical infrastructures such as stadiums, ports, airports, industrial complexes, shopping centers and crowded places.
Further Reading:
All the activities of the Italian joint task force, as part of the world football championship in Qatar, will be carried out under the coordination of the Joint Defense Forces Operations Command, led by Army Corps General Francesco Paolo Figliuolo.
The Senior Command of the Joint Forces Operational Area (COVI) performs the functions of a staff body of the Chief of Defense Staff for the planning, coordination and direction of military operations and exercises at national and international level conducted in the five domains : land, sea, sky, space and cyber.
It contributes to the elaboration of the NATO doctrine and of the International Organizations of which Italy is a part. Develop methodologies for the simulation of strategic and operational scenarios. Furthermore, it represents the entry point for all requests for operational competitions provided by the Armed Forces to other Institutional Authorities on the national territory, such as the Civil Protection and / or other Departments in the event of natural or emergency disasters of extraordinary need and urgency.