Command Senior Enlisted Leader

Chief Warrant Officer Antonio COLIA was born on 19 th August 1970 in Bernalda (Matera) Italy.

He joined the 67 th Course of the Italian Army NCO Academy in 1989 at the end of which he attended anti-aircraft Artillery School in Sabaudia (Latina). He completed his military NCO studies in 1990 and posted at the 121 st Regiment / 2 nd anti-aircraft artillery Group in Venice as artillery Section Chief. While serving in this Unit he was selected to attend the requalification courses on the SIDAM 25mm that were held between the OTO MELARA factory in La Spezia and again at the anti-aircraft Artillery School in Sabaudia (Latina). In 1993 he was posted as SIDAM 25mm Section Chief at the 3 rd MLRS “Volturno” Regiment in Oderzo (Treviso), in 1996 the Unit moved to Portogruaro and in 1999 became 5 th Superga MLRS regiment. While in this unit he was deployed as Chief of Close Protection team (CPT) in the “Vespri Siciliani” Operation in Sciacca (Sicily) in 1996. 

From 1999 till 2000 he was deployed with the NATO forces in Kosovo during the mission KFOR as CPT team leader. Once back in Portogruaro Chief Warrant Officer Antonio Colia was moved to the Artillery Brigade HQ serving as G1 Staff Assistant. In 2002 he was posted in Bosnia Herzegovina for the IFOR mission where, for the first time, his duty was CIMIC Operator. Once back in Italy in 2003, he has been assigned for three years in Malta where he was anti-aircraft artillery instructor to the Maltese armed forces (2003-2007). At the end of this long experience he finally joined the Multinational CIMIC Group. At the very beginning of his experience in this Unit, he was serving as J1 Staff Assistant and, at the same time, he started his  studied to graduate as CIMIC Operator. 

In 2011 he was assigned to CJ7 Education Section where, after different courses he was graduated as CIMIC Instructor. In this new vest he had the chance to be deployed abroad as CIMIC Operator in Afghanistan (2008-2009), in Lebanon as UNIFIL (2015) , six times in Beirut to train the CIMIC Lebanese Armed Forces as MIBIL Mobile Training Team member and in Gibuti as CIMIC Branch Chief (2019). As Mobile Training Team member he has been deployed in Georgia, Ukraine, Croatia, Greece and Portugal at the Joint HQ for Special Operation. As CIMIC instructor he has supported courses in The Netherlands at the CIMIC Centre of Excellence, Germany at the NATO School, USA in Fort Liberty (NC) at the U.S. Army Special Operation Command. 

During his service as CIMIC Instructor he also has served as Senior Instructor several times for different courses of the educational offer of the Multinational CIMIC Group. Above all his major military graduation are as: 

- SIDAM 25mm operator;

- CBRN operator/evaluator;

- NATO CIMIC Basic course;

- CIMIC Tactical Operator Course;

- Intercultural Mediator Course;

- NATO CIMIC field Worker Course;

- NATO CIMIC staff Worker Course;

- CIMIC Liaison Officer Course;

- CIMIC Intercultural Advanced Course;

- NATO Instructor course;

- NATO Quality assurance Course;

- NATO System approach to Training course;

- NATO CIMIC Analysis and Assessment Course.

He is also graduated as United Nation Civil Military Coordination Officer (UN CMCoord) and UN Protection of Cultural Heritage in Post Conflict Environment. Antonio is married with Ketty and they have one daughter, Giulia.