1MAR Massimo Pizzolla

Senior Enlisted Advisor, NATO Joint Forces Command Italian Army

From 2016 to 2019, Primo Maresciallo (1MAR) Massimo Pizzolla led as the Italian Senior Enlisted Leader and Advisor to the Chief of Staff, NATO Joint Forces Command, Naples, Italy. In this position, 1MAR Pizzolla led as the Senior Enlisted Leader, caring for the welfare of all Italian Service Members assigned to the Joint Forces Command, and also provided leadership, operations, and policy guidance to the Commander and Senior Military leaders. This was an equivalent, highest-ranking position, as the Italian Sergeant Major of the Army position did not yet exist.

1MAR Pizzolla is a resident graduate of the United States Army Sergeants  Major Course, Class 63, USASMA, in 2013, and he currently serves as a Military Personnel Exchange Program participant as the Italian Army Exchange Instructor to the Noncommissioned Officer Center of Excellence and Sergeants Major Academy (NCLOCoE/USASMA) at Fort Bliss, Texas. Starting in 2020, he began his current position as the Italian Exchange instructor to the NCOLCoE/USASMA.

His proven record of high-performance resulted in his hand-selection by the Office of the Chief of Staff of the Italian Army specifically for this assignment. In his current position, 1MAR Pizzolla performed exceptionally as a NCO and Instructor, serving to develop both U.S. and Partner Nation Senior NCOs, and he also played an critical role in creating a strong and continuous relationship between the NCOLCoE/USASMA and the first-ever, Italian Sergeant Major of the Army. From 2019 to 2020, 1MAR Pizzolla led as the Senior Enlisted Advisor and Chief of Special Secretariat for the Commander of the Italian Joint Command for Operations in Rome, Italy. In this position, he provided leadership, operations, and policy guidance to General and Senior Commissioned and Noncommissioned Officers while serving as a critical part of this joint-service Command. This was an equivalent, highest-ranking position, as the Italian Sergeant Major of the Army position did not yet exist.

1MAR Pizzolla epitomizes the best of the Senior NCO. He is an exceptional and talented leader whom the Italian Army identifies as among the very best, if not the very best. He continues to be an example of competence, professionalism, and excellence for Italian and Partner Nation Senior NCOs. 1MAR Pizzolla has served at almost every level of the Italian Army and in Joint Assignments, deploying several times in support of  Italian   Forces and NATO partners.