Rear Admiral Alberto Sodomaco

Commander of Amphibious Force & Head of Amphibious Department Italian Navy

Rear Admiral (LH) Alberto SODOMACO was born on the 24th of December 1969 in Trieste. He graduated at the Nautical Technical Institute of Trieste. In 1988 he joined the Italian Naval Academy and he graduated as an Ensign in 1992. His first Fleet assignment was the Frigate MAESTRALE. After attending the qualification course in “Artillery and Missiles” at the Italian Navy Training Centre in Taranto, in the following years he was assigned as Gunnery and Missile System Officer on board: - the Destroyer‐Missile Launcher ARDITO; - the Destroyer‐Missile Launcher AUDACE, where he deployed to the Adriatic Sea in support of allied efforts in Kosovo: Operations “Di.Na.K.” and “Allied Force”. In 2000 he assumed Command of the Offshore Patrol Vessel SPICA.

From 2001 to 2005 he served as Weapons Officer and OPSO on board the Italian Aircraft Carrier, Giuseppe GARIBALDI, also during the deployment in the North Arabian Sea in support of Operation “Enduring Freedom”. From June 2005 until September 2008, he was Officer in Charge of Cadets at the Italian Naval Academy. In July 2007 he was promoted Commander. In 2009 he assumed Command of the Frigate LIBECCIO, and he participated in NATO led Operations “Allied Protector” and “Ocean Shield” against piracy in the Gulf of Aden and in the Indian Ocean. From September 2010 to September 2012, he assumed the command of the 2nd Offshore Patrol Vessel Squadron, with the additional duty of evaluator at Naval Command School. From 2012 up to 2015 he served as Commandant of Midshipmen and then as Education and Training Director at the Italian Naval Academy. In July 2013 he was promoted Captain. On 1st of October 2015 he assumed the Command of the Aircraft Carrier CAVOUR participating, as flagship, to EUNAVFOR MED – Sophia Operation. On October 2016 he was posted as chief of J5 Plan Division at Italian Joint Operation Headquarter in Rome.

On January 2019 he was promoted Rear Admiral (LH). From the July 2019 to October 2020 Rear Admiral Sodomaco has been the Commanding Officer of the 3rd Naval Division (COMDINAV 3), the Commander of the Italian Amphibious Task Force (CATF) and Deputy Commander of Italian Maritime Forces (DEPUTY COMITMARFOR). From 29th July 2019 to 30th September 2020 he has been the Commander of the Spanish Italian Amphibious Force (SIAF) and the Commander of the Italian led European Union Amphibious Battle Group for the first part of second semester 2020. From 8th October 2019, he is the chairman of the European Amphibious Initiative (EAI). Since 30th of September 2020 Admiral Sodomaco is the Head of Amphibious Department at Navy General Staff, and the Commander of the Amphibious Force within the Commander in Chief of the Fleet.

Rear Admiral (LH) SODOMACO earned a Master’s Degree in Maritime & Naval Sciences at Pisa University, and got a Master in International Studies at LUISS University in Rome. He attended the Naval Staff College in Venice, the 11th Joint Command and General Course (I.S.S.M.I.) in Rome, and the Higher Command Study Course at the Baltic Defense College in Tartu (EST). RDML Sodomaco like to sail and to practice sports in general. He is married and has two daughters.