NSD-S HUB DIRECTOR

BGen. Aydın KILIÇ graduated from the Turkish Army Academy in 1995 with a Bachelor of Science in Systems Engineering. After graduation, he attended infantry School for a year.

As an infantry officer, he served as a platoon and company commander in various units between 1996 and 2002. Between 2002 and 2009 he worked as a targeting officer in the Turkish Air Force. In 2009 he was assigned as a Middle East analyst with the Turkish General Staff HQ.

Brigadier KILIÇ was assigned to the NATO Intelligence Fusion Centre in 2010 as the Middle East Branch Chief where he served for three years during a time of turmoil in the Middle East. In 2013 he was assigned to the 34th Border Brigade as Provost Marshal. 

He served in the Turkish Army HQ as Project Support Section Head. In 2016 he was assigned to the Turkish General Staff HQ as Unmanned Aerial Vehicles Project Officer and worked on defense planning and acquisition. 

He attended the Staff Officer Course in the National Defence University in 2018 and Eisenhower School in Washington D.C. in 2019. In 2020, he graduated from Command and Staff College. He was then assigned to the 1st Mechanized Brigade as Deputy Commander.

In August 2022, he was assigned as Director of the NATO Strategic Direction-South Hub at the NATO Joint Force Command, located in Naples, Italy where he also serves as Turkish Senior National Representative.

NSD-S HUB deputy DIRECTOR

Captain Giovanni IODICE attended the Italian Naval Academy in Livorno from 1988 to 1992, and went on to obtain a Bachelor degree in Informatics, a Bachelor in Military Maritime and Naval Sciences, and a Master’s Degree in Strategic Military Studies. He has a flying career that has seen him log over 3,500 flight hours , 1,000 of which as Pilot in Command

In 1994 he qualified as a military pilot of fixed wing aircraft at the US Navy flight school and subsequently obtained the “combat readiness” qualification on an Anti-submarine BR1150 Atlantic aircraft at the “41st Wing” in Sigonella (Catania).

Within the Anti-submarine component, he performed operationally as Head of Operations at the 41st Wing and as a flight instructor in Anti-submarine tactical specialties. In 2001, he served as Commanding Officer of the Water Tanker in Operation ALBANIA and also saw service  in Sinai in 2002-3, as Liaison Officer of the Multinational Force & Observers in Egypt

In 2009-10 , he was the Executive Officer of the Landing Platform Dock SAN GIUSTO before Commanding the Patrol Vessel COMANDANTE CIGALA FULGOSI from 2010-12

He was Head of Section Technical/Financial Coordination of the Armament Programs Department at the Secretariat General of Defense/National Armaments Directorate between 2012 to 2015. In 2015, he was promoted to Captain and assumed the role of Infrastructure Branch Head at the Sicilian Maritime Command between and in 2017 became its Chief of Staff.

From 2019 to 2022, he undertook the role of National Liaison Representative at NATO HQ SACT in Norfolk, USA before undertaking his current position as Deputy Director of the NATO Strategic Direction-South Hub.

Captain Iodice was awarded NATO Medals for peace-keeping Operations in ex-Yugoslavia (SHARP GUARD – MARITIME MONITOR – MARITIME GUARD); in Kosovo (Operation EAGLE EYE); and the Article 5 Operation ACTIVE ENDEAVOUR to deter, defend, disrupt and protect against terrorist activity.