Di Paola nominated Italian Minister of Defence

Adm. Giampaolo Di Paola, current Chairman of the NATO Military Committee and member of the SDA advisory board, was nominated the new Italian Minister of Defence yesterday. Di Paola will be a key actor in a new Italian government currently being composed after the resignation of Silvio Berlusconi who recently lost the support of the parliamentary majority. Di Paola has a distinguished military and political career previously serving as Italy's procurement chief in 2001 and Italian Chief of Staff in 2004. Di Paola took up his new position yesterday replacing former Italian Minister of Defence Ignazio La Russa.