Bruno Branciforte
 Bruno Branciforte    (spook, mariner) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Born | 6 November 1947 Naples, Italy | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Nationality | Italian | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Italian admiral. The last head of the Italian Military Intelligence and Security Service and first leader of the Italian External Intelligence and Security Agency.
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Bruno Branciforte (born November 6, 1947) is an Italian admiral. He was Chief of Staff of the Italian Navy from 23 February 2010 to 2 March 2012[1] and he succeeded to Nicolò Pollari as the last head of the Italian Military Intelligence and Security Service (SISMI), nominated by Prime Minister Romano Prodi, from 21 November to 2006 to 3 August 2007 when the Agency was dissolved and transformed into the Italian External Intelligence and Security Agency (AISE). He was also the first director of AISE from 4 August 2007 to 4 February 2010.[2]
Career
Branciforte attended the Italian Naval Academy in Livorno from 1965 to 1969 when he graduated with the rank of navy guard. From 1976 to 1978 he commanded the Aquila Corvette. In 1979 he was named to the Second Intelligence unit of the chief of staff of the Navy, before being appointed director of the Intelligence Center of the Navy and then director of the research center in 1985.
In 1985, he was named Captain of frigate, and quickly became first commandant of the cruiser Vittorio Veneto, before being named commandant of the Alisea frigate. In 1987 he was again assigned to the chief of staff of the Navy, before going to Washington D.C. as naval attaché, where he worked from 1989 to 1992.
When he returned to Italy, he became commandant of the aircraft carrier Giuseppe Garibaldi. Promoted Rear Admiral in 1995, he was from December 15, 2001 to February 12, 2002 Italy's representative at Tampa (USA), near the USCENTCOM, during Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan. He became chief of staff of the Navy from 2001 to 2004
He was promoted Vice-Admiral in February 2004 before being appointed Commander in Chief Naval Fleet on 22 October 2004.[3]
On November 20, 2006, Prime Minister Romano Prodi, in agreement with the opposition, nominated him as the new director of the Italian intelligence service SISMI. He took over the post on December 16, 2006 from his predecessor Nicolò Pollari, a general of the Guardia di Finanza. By a law of August 3, 2007, the military intelligence service SISMI was replaced by the civilian foreign intelligence service Agenzia Informazioni e Sicurezza Esterna, which Branciforte in turn took over.
Vice Admiral Bruno Branciforte led the Italian Navy from February 23, 2010 to March 2, 2012 as Chief of the Admiralty.
