Overview

• General Nicola Zanelli died on May 29 at a Montericco hospice in Reggio Emilia at the age of 61.
• He was diagnosed with an incurable illness in October 2024 and faced it with courage and deep faith according to his wife, Romana.
• Zanelli’s military career began in 1982 and included key deployments in Somalia in 1993, Iraq in 2003 and as vice commander of NATO’s Resolute Support mission in Afghanistan from 2020 to 2021.
• He served as the first commander of Italy’s Army Special Forces Command in 2013 and was appointed Deputy Commander of NATO’s Allied Land Command in 2022.
• He is survived by his wife and four children and has been honored by the Italian Army Special Forces and NATO colleagues for his enduring leadership and legacy.