Head of Information Superiority Unit, European Defence Agency, Italy
Alessandro Cignoni joined the Italian Naval Academy in 1993 and was commissioned in 1997 as Navy Weapon Engineer Officer. He served the Italian Navy shore and ashore. He was deployed on board the Frigate “Sfinge” (2001-2002) and the Landing Platform Dock “San Giusto” (2010-2012) as Head of the “Technical Armaments and Operations Dept”. Directly subordinate to the Commanding Officer of the Ships, leading the technical team, he was responsible for the efficiency of the Ship’s ammunition, C4ISTAR, and weapon systems. He served as CIS Director and Assistant Chief of Staff for the N6 Cell of the Command Task Group 455.01 on board the flagship during NATO Operation Unified Protector in Libya (2011). Alessandro Cignoni’s ashore commitments included duties as CIS Department Engineer at the Italian Navy Research and Experimentation Centre “Istituto G. Vallauri” (2002-2010). He supported several multinational programmes. He served the Italian Joint Staff HQs as a Subject Matter Expert in the areas of Communication Information Systems (CIS) and Command Control (C2). As Visiting Professor at the University of Pisa (2005-2010), he provided lectures on “Computer Networks and Telecommunications” and “TLC Systems and Antennas”. In 2012 he joined the NATO Modelling & Simulation Centre of Excellence in Rome as Simulation Based Acquisition Chief, mainly working in Concept Development & Experimentation. Working in close coordination with the NATO HQ SACT and the US Joint Staff J6, he initiated the work strand on Modelling & Simulation for Robotic Autonomous Systems. In 2014 he was appointed IT Coordinator at the NATO Science and Technology Organisation Centre for Maritime Research and Experimentation (CMRE). His main duty was requirements collection in support of Scientific Trials, including onboard NRV Alliance and CRV Leonardo. In 2016 he was appointed Project Officer CIS within the European Defence Agency (EDA). Working in close coordination with other EU Institutions like the EEAS and the EUMS, he led several CIS/C2 projects in support of member states. In January 2018, he was head-hunted to coordinate a PESCO Task Force under the guidance of the CAT Director, being appointed Head of Unit PESCO in April 2018. In November 2021, he was appointed Head of Information Superiority Unit in EDA, responsible for Capability Development in the areas of Cyber, Space, and C4ISTAR. He actively works for the uptake of innovation in capability development. Alessandro Cignoni has BSc and MSc in Telecommunication Engineering from the University of Pisa and a Master (ISCED 8) in Telecommunication from the University of Genoa. He is PRINCE2 and ITIL certified. He is married and has two sons.
