Story by Diana Sodano
NAPLES, Italy - Italian Army Lieutenant General Luciano Portolano, Allied Joint Force Command Naples Chief of Staff, delivered a lecture to the students of the Department of Political Science, University of Naples, Federico II, directed by Professor Vittorio Amato on May 14, 2019.
The seminar on "NATO’s relevance in a changing world” focused on the implementation of the NATO’s 70th Anniversary Integrated Communications Plan and was open to students from other universities.
Portolano gave an overview on the political-military structure of NATO and on JFC Naples, focused on the role of NATO on the Middle Eastern and Northern Africa dynamics, stressed the capability of NATO to respond to crisis situations developing outside its boundaries and keep an active role in supporting its partners and in working with international organizations.
Portolano also emphasized the vital role that JFC Naples plays, in particular, the partnership programs, the support to the African Union and the recently established NATO Strategic Direction Hub for the South.
An increasingly important role played by JFC Naples with regard to the MENA region (Middle East and North Africa), is the proactive role played by the HUB in an attempt to set up an understanding, information sharing and cooperation framework to face the multiple challenges and threats originating along the so-called Southern Flank of NATO.
"NATO is a political-military international organization based on three main pillars: collective defense, crisis management and cooperative security," said Portolano.
"At JFC Naples we host students from schools and universities to let them get a taste of NATO life and send out a transparent message about the mission, the goal, and the challenges of our command,” Portolano said. "I consider that the young generation is the future."
"I thank General Portolano for his presentation for having clarified the importance of NATO as a political-military organization to the students who are approaching international organizations studies,” Professor Arturo De Vivo, Deputy Dean of the University of Naples, Federico II said.
At the end of the seminar, Portolano answered students’ questions.
"I hope that in future there will be other events like this with the possibility of a visit to the NATO base of JFC Naples,” said Professor Vittorio Amato, Director of the Political Science Department, University of Naples Federico II.
This event is an example of NATO’s efforts to establish positive cultural and social exchanges with the external community and to strengthen the relationship with local and regional institutions.