Release Number: 26-02<br />17 September 2002<br /><br />AFSOUTH CHIEF OF STAFF RELINQUISHES DUTIES<br /><br />RHQ Allied Forces Southern Europe (AFSOUTH), Naples, Italy, Lieutenant General Ciro Cocozza, Italian Army (ITA), succeeded Lieutenant General Fabio Mini, ITA, as Chief of Staff (COS) AFSOUTH during a brief ceremony this morning at the Alliance’s post in Naples. <br /><br />Lt. Gen. Cocozza, the 26th COS since the establishment of the headquarters in 1951, comes his new assignment from his position as Chief of Military Plans and Policy Department in the Italian Defence General Staff. <br /><br />Admiral Gregory G. Johnson, Commander-in-Chief AFSOUTH, officiated at the ceremony and bid farewell to General Mini as he left AFSOUTH for his next assignment. “He is a soldier-statesman of the first rank,” Admiral Johnson said. “Moreover, General Mini is a bersagliere, of whom it is said that the bersagliere is a warrior who, from the colors of his feathers, learns not to know the impossible.”<br /><br />In welcoming Lieutenant General Ciro Cocozza to AFSOUTH, Admiral Johnson said, “He has a distinguished background in both operational command and staff positions at the highest levels and is superbly qualified to assume the responsibilities of managing a large, multi-national staff. Indeed, he is a recognized expert in executive leadership.”<br /><br />The CINCSOUTH Band, a marching colour guard with representatives from 12 NATO nations and many senior NATO and national guests participated in the ceremony with the AFSOUTH staff.<br />Lt. General Fabio Mini will assume the Command of the NATO-led peacekeeping operations in Kosovo (KFOR) on 4th October 2002.<br /><br />AFSOUTH is one of the two regional commands of NATO’s Allied Command Europe, with responsibility over an area stretching from Gibraltar to Eastern Turkey, and from Hungary to the southern shores of the Mediterranean. It is also the NATO headquarters with operational responsibility over NATO-led peace-support operations in the Balkans.