Headquarters of the Allied Land Forces Southern Europe
The Allied Land Forces Southern Europe Command (FTASE), known in English as the Headquarters of the Allied Land Forces Southern Europe (HQ LANDSOUTH), was a NATO military command under Italian leadership, active from 1951 to 2004. Its headquarters were located in Verona, in the historic Palazzo Carli.
Historical Context and Mission
With the end of the Second World War and the beginning of the Cold War, it became necessary to establish a national command of land forces in Northern Italy, tasked with planning the defense of the north-eastern Italian front, threatened by tensions with Yugoslavia and by the potential danger posed by the Warsaw Pact. Verona, due to its strategic position, was chosen as the headquarters of the command, housed in Palazzo Carli.
Following the 1949 Washington Treaty, the command was integrated into the NATO structure and, on 10 July 1951, officially became the Allied Land Forces Southern Europe Command (FTASE), under Italian leadership. Its main task was to prepare the defense of Northern Italy against a possible invasion from the east, assuming strategic command of the Italian and allied troops deployed in the region.
Structure and Command
The FTASE command was headed by an Italian four-star corps general. The general staff was led by an Italian divisional general, with a deputy chief for operations (Italian brigadier general) and a deputy chief for logistical support (U.S. brigadier general). The FTASE command was subordinate to the Allied Forces Southern Europe Command (AFSOUTH), headquartered in Naples.
Subordinate Units
In peacetime, the units subordinate to FTASE included:
Italian headquarters, organized into a Command and Services Company and a Transport Company, stationed in Verona.
Tactical Psychological Support Battalion "Monte Grappa", stationed in Verona.
Mixed Telecommunications Support Group (Italian Army/Air Force), stationed in Verona.
In the event of war, the following units would also have come under FTASE command:
3rd Army Corps, stationed in Milan.
4th Alpine Army Corps, stationed in Bolzano.
5th Army Corps, stationed in Vittorio Veneto.
Padua Air Defense Artillery Command.
North-East Military Region for logistical support to the Italian Army and Air Force, stationed in Padua.
Southern European Task Force (SETAF) with the 3rd Battalion, 325th Airborne Infantry Regiment, US Army, stationed in Vicenza.
5th Allied Tactical Air Force (ATAF) of NATO, stationed in Vicenza and made up of Italian Air Force units located in Northern Italy.
All allied ground reinforcements that, in the event of war, arrived in Northern Italy would have been placed under FTASE command. In 1989, the allied forces earmarked to reinforce this command included:
An army corps of the Spanish Army, consisting of two divisions that could be armored, mechanized, or mountain.
1st Independent Mixed Brigade of the Portuguese Army.
30th Mechanized Brigade of the North Carolina Army National Guard, US Army.
Exercises and Strategic Defense
In the 1980s, FTASE took part every year in the "Display Determination" exercise, organized by AFSOUTH and involving the entire Mediterranean basin. These exercises were intended to demonstrate NATO's determination to defend its borders. The most critical sector for FTASE was the so‑called "Gorizia threshold," on Italy’s north‑eastern border, the only flat passage connecting Eastern Europe with the Po Valley, representing an easy route for a potential invasion by Warsaw Pact forces.
Strategic Bunkers: West Star and Back Yard
To ensure operational continuity in the event of conflict, two secret bunkers were built:
West Star: Located in Affi (VR), carved into the rock of Mount Moscal, it was built between 1960 and 1966. It served as a command and control post for organizing and directing NATO exercises in the northwestern Italian theater.
Back Yard: Located in Grezzana (VR), carved into the rock of Monte Vicino, it was built between 1956 and 1958. It initially served as a command-and-control post and later became a reserve facility for organizing and directing NATO exercises in the northwestern Italian theater, in the event that the main site in Affi was rendered inoperative.
Evolution and Dissolution
With the end of the Cold War and the dissolution of the Warsaw Pact, the defensive role of FTASE came to an end. On 1 September 1999, as part of NATO’s structural reorganization, the command was renamed Allied Joint Forces Command South (Joint Command South), losing many of its original functions. Finally, it was dissolved on 1 October 2004 and its tasks were assigned to Allied Force Command Madrid.
Commanders
From 1951 to 2004, numerous Italian Army Corps generals succeeded one another in command of FTASE. Among them were:
Gen. C.A. Maurizio Lazzaro De Castiglioni
Gen. C.A. Enrico Frattini
Gen. C.A. Clemente Primieri
Gen. C.A. Alessandro Albert
Gen. C.A. Aldo Rossi
Gen. C.A. Aurelio Guy
Gen. C.A. Antonio Gualano
Gen. C.A. Siro Bernabò
Gen. C.A. Guido Vedovato
Gen. C.A. Ugo Centofanti
Gen. C.A. Raffaele Caccavale
Gen. C.A. Cosimo Cassone
Gen. C.A. Mario Alessi
Gen. C.A. Angelo Maria Galateri
Gen. C.A. Ettore Brancato
Gen. C.A. Alberto Li Gobbi
Gen. C.A. Giuseppe Maria Vaccaro
Gen. C.A. Vittorio Santini
Impact on the City of Verona
The FTASE command was not only a military structure, but also an important player in the economic and social life of Verona for over half a century:
It hosted multinational NATO personnel (mainly Italian and American), contributing to the city’s multiculturalism and internationalization.
It generated significant economic benefits: from housing services to international schools, from catering to logistical infrastructure.
It promoted cultural and cooperation initiatives, also in collaboration with local civil authorities.
For a long time, Verona was one of the few Italian cities to host permanent multinational NATO commands, alongside Naples and Vicenza.
FTASE in the geopolitical context of the Cold War
The role of FTASE must be framed within the broader doctrine of collective defense of the Atlantic Alliance:
Verona was a crucial hub of the “NATO Piave Line,” the forward defense system of northern Italy against a possible land offensive coming from the east.
The command would have had operational responsibility over a front stretching from the Julian border to the Western Alps, protecting the axes of penetration toward the Po Valley.
Starting from the 1970s, its function was updated to include interoperability with new allied forces and to respond to flexible conflict scenarios, including the use of force for deterrent purposes, without automatic nuclear escalation.
Decline and Post–Cold War Transition
With the collapse of the Soviet Union and the dissolution of the Warsaw Pact (1991), the original role of FTASE lost its central importance. NATO began a profound restructuring, shifting:
From a static system of territorial defense to a projectable model focused on out-of-area crises and the management of asymmetric conflicts.
From highly structured permanent commands to a leaner and more modular network based on joint commands and rapid reaction forces (such as the NRF – NATO Response Forces).
In 1999, FTASE was transformed into Joint Command South with more limited, joint responsibilities. Five years later, in 2004, it was permanently closed.
Historical and cultural legacy
Although it no longer exists today, FTASE has left an indelible mark:
Palazzo Carli, its historic headquarters, is still one of the most iconic military buildings in Verona.
The West Star and Back Yard bunkers, now decommissioned, are the focus of historical, tourist and documentary interest, as testimonies of the Cold War in Italy.
The memory of the multinational troops and NATO cooperation in Veneto is still alive, thanks to exhibitions, conferences and publications.
The case of FTASE is emblematic of how the military, political and diplomatic dimensions of the Cold War had concrete repercussions on Italian territory, leaving a legacy that today forms part of contemporary historical heritage.
Curiosities about the FTASE Command
Code name "West Star": the main bunker in Lessinia, intended to protect the Command in the event of nuclear war, was designed to withstand medium-yield atomic explosions. The name West Star was invented for secrecy reasons.
Verona as a small NATO: in the 1970s and 1980s, the city hosted personnel from more than 10 NATO member countries, creating an unprecedented cultural and linguistic crossroads, clearly visible in the residential districts, international schools and recreational clubs.
Palazzo Carli: the historic headquarters of the Command in Verona, it is a 17th-century Baroque building, formerly a noble residence, then Napoleon’s headquarters (Napoleon signed one of the treaties with Austria there in 1797), and finally a NATO headquarters until 2004.
Total War scenarios: in NATO contingency plans, FTASE would have directed the resistance of Italian and allied land forces in the event of a Soviet invasion, controlling critical logistical hubs, bridges and access routes to the Po Valley.
Secret simulations: every year, the command organized complex NATO exercises, including the simulated use of tactical nuclear weapons, to test the resilience of the defensive system in the event of escalation.
Timeline of the FTASE Command (1951–2004)
Year Event
1951 Foundation of the NATO FTASE Command in Verona. First commander: Gen. Umberto Utili.
1953 The command officially settles in Palazzo Carli, in the historic center.
1960–1980 Period of maximum operational activity during the Cold War. Strategic coordination with the USA, the United Kingdom, Greece and Turkey.
1980 Completion of the West Star nuclear bunker in Lessinia, one of the most advanced in Europe.
1991 Fall of the USSR. Beginning of the strategic conversion of the Command.
1999 FTASE transformed into Joint Command South, with more limited tasks and a joint-service structure.
2004 Final closure of the NATO command in Verona. Some remaining functions are transferred to the Land Operational Forces Command.
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