Domenico Rossi

Army General Domenico Rossi was born in Rome and is currently a member of the Italian Parliament.
His career began at the Military Academy of Modena where he initially attended a course from 1969 to 1971, eventually obtaining one the Italian army’s highest ranks on January 1, 2008, when he became a Corps General. Although already having a university degree in Strategic Sciences, General Rossi obtained another university degree in Political Sciences in 2003. After attending a military specialization school for senior army officers in Turin, he served as a commander in various cities in the regions of Friuli and Abruzzo, and in Sardinia, where he directed the Capo Teulada firing range. Subsequently he moved to Rome where he headed the renowned Sardinian Grenadiers Brigade first, and the Capital City’s Military Command afterwards. Finally, he was promoted to the role of Deputy Principal Staff Officer for the Italian Army.
He is one of the greatest experts in the field of Defence and Home Security, and authored several parliamentary bills, including the law that abolished mandatory draft in Italy and the one that allowed the inclusion of women in the army. These are some among the reasons why he was appointed as an honorary member of the Societé Internationale de Droite Militaire – International Society for Military Law. Thanks to his enormous knowledge of the sector, he served in several institutions representing the military for over 10 years. From 2006 to 2012 he was the President of COCER, i.e. the Joint Council of Italy’s Army, Navy, Air Force, Gendarmerie, Financial Guard and Coast Guard.
During his career, he received the following awards and decorations:
- Knighthood Commander of the Republic of Italy;
- Golden Cross for seniority in the army;
- Knighthood of the Order of St. Gregory the Great;
- Italian Red Cross silver medal;
- Mauritian Medal granted for his 50-year service in the Italian army;
- Golden Cross and Star for seniority in the army.
On December 05, 2015 he was appointed an honorary citizen of the town of Antrodoco, near Rieti in the Region of Lazio. He received the St. Catherin’s Golden Prize in the city of Siena. The International Confederation of Crusader Knights, the Guardians of Peace, awarded him with the Assisi Gold Trophy for his commitment in the social field. From Feb. 28, 2014 to Dec. 12, 2016 he was the Undersecretary of State for Defence in the Government presided over by Prime Minister Matteo Renzi. On Dec. 29, 2016 he was appointed Undersecretary of State for Defence in the Government presided over by Prime Minister Paolo Gentiloni.

Reasons for assigning the Award

After attending the Military Academy of Modena, Army General Domenico Rossi began a bright career serving in several prestigious positions as a commander, and particularly as the Italian Army’s Deputy Principal Staff Officer. Endowed with great authority and an immense sense of solidarity, General Rossi has enormous skills in different fields, which allowed him to develop considerable capabilities in international relations. In this respect, he operated in complex situations related to Italy’s peculiar geopolitical position, whose dangers and threats nowadays are less foreseeable than in the past. He strove for strengthening democracy and for reinforcing freedom, security and peace among countries and peoples. Last but not least, General Rossi focused on social issues, collaborating with several associations such as Caritas, the Cure2Children Foundation, and the Fiaba Foundation, with the aim of promoting the removal of all physical, cultural and psychological barriers, and dedicating himself to the diffusion of equal opportunities.

Conferimento Premio Internazionale per la Cultura "Vissi d'Arte Città di Alcamo"