The Joint Operations Headquarters (, COVI) is the Italian joint operational command directly reporting to the Chief of the Defence Staff. This command exercises the planning, coordination and direction of the military operations of the Italian armed forces, and on joint and multinational exercises and all activities connected to them. Through the COVI, the Chief of the Defence Staff is able to exercise his functions as Operational Commander of the Armed Forces.
History
The Joint Operations Headquarters was established in 1998 in order to provide the Chief of the Defence Staff of the means to direct the whole operational activity of the Italian Armed Forces.
After the provision enshrined in the law, the Activation Cell of the Command was established on 13 August 1997; on 18 March 1998 the Cell was upgraded to Initial Formation Team of the Joint Operations Command, and on 10 December 1998 the Command assumed operational duties. Eventually, on 1 November 1999 the Command reached the full operating capability. At first, headquarters were placed in the military citadel of the Cecchignola". In 1998 the seat was moved to Centocelle Airport.
The Joint Operations Headquarters (COI) has been the body employed by the Chief of the Defence Staff in charge of planning, coordinating and directing the military operations of the Italian Armed Forces and multinational exercises. The Command was also in charge of managing the requests and execution of the competition activities of the Italian Armed Forces on the occasion of natural disasters or extraordinary events.
Over the years, a number of joint commands were set up that remained excluded from the jurisdiction of the COI. These commands direct the special forces, the cyber component and the space component.
On 26 July 2021 the Command was upgraded and renamed from Joint Operations Command (Comando Operativo Interforze, COI) to Joint Summit Operations Command (Comando Operativo di Vertice Interforze, COVI) with its Commander being promoted from a "plain" Lieutenant General to a Lieutenant General of rank equal to Service Chiefs.
The new version of the Command was introduced in order to facilitate the coordination of the joint operational components, which continue to remain directly under the Chief of the Defence Staff, in the five domains (land, sea, sky, space and cyber) maintaining the principle of uniqueness of command.
The restructured Command also includes subordinate commands COFS, COR and COS in order to unify the command in the five domains and in such a way as to become the focal point of the operational components.
Commanders
From 1998 to 2021 the Command had been held by a three-star general/flag officer. Since 26 July 2021, the COVI has been led by a three-star general/flag officer "with special duties", senior in rank to ordinary three-star general/flag officers.
Mission
The Command is the articulation through which the Chief of Defense Staff exercises the functions of Operational Commander of the Italian Armed Forces.
The Command also has the function of managing and coordinating the interventions of the individual Armed Forces in the event of emergencies and natural disasters on the national territory, the task of developing the methodologies for the simulation of strategic and operational scenarios, as well as contributing to the elaboration of the military doctrine of NATO and of the other international organizations of which Italy is a part.
Organization
The COVI is a joint command, made up in every component of military personnel from the four Italian Armed Forces, as well as civilian defense personnel. However, as of 2005, the COI mainly consisted of Army personnel: Army 41% Navy 21% Air Force 31% Carabinieri 7%.
The Joint Operations Command is organized as follows: Commander Commander's Secretariat; Office of the Commander; Legal Office; Deputy Commander; General Staff; Italian Joint Force Headquarters; Headquarters.
Legal Office
In 2001 a first Legal Unit was established, and later evolved into an Office. The Legal Office of the Joint Operations Command provides legal counseling to the Commander, to the divisions of the Command and to the operational theaters, both in the legal field and in the context of the military police activities of the units present in missions and operations abroad.