CESIS
Encyclopedia
Comitato Esecutivo per i Servizi di Informazione e Sicurezza (Executive Committee for Intelligence and Security Services) was an Italian government committee whose mission was the coordination of all the intelligence sector, and specifically between the two civilian and military intelligence agencies (respectively, SISDE
SISDE
Servizio per le Informazioni e la Sicurezza Democratica , was the domestic intelligence agency of Italy.With the reform of the Italian Intelligence Services approved on 1 August 2007, SISDE was replaced by AISI....

 and SISMI
SISMI
Servizio per le Informazioni e la Sicurezza Militare was the military intelligence agency of Italy from 1977-2007....

), with the aim to report all the relevant information collected by it to the political Authorities, represented by the Presidency of the Council of Ministers.

With the reform of the Italian Intelligence Services approved on 1 August 2007, CESIS was replaced by DIS
Dipartimento delle Informazioni per la Sicurezza
The Dipartimento delle Informazioni per la Sicurezza is a department of the Presidency of the Council of Ministers of Italy, instituted in 2007 as part of the reform of the Italian security services...

.

History

Since the end of World War II, Italian intelligence agencies
Italian intelligence agencies
Italian intelligence agencies have been reorganized many times since the 1946 birth of the Italian Republic in an attempt to increase their effectiveness and bring them more fully under civilian control.- 1970s-2007 :...

 have been reorganized many times in an attempt to increase their effectiveness and bring them more fully under civilian control.

The committee was established as part of a broader reform of the Italian
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...

 intelligence community, which represented the latest in a long string of government attempts to effectively manage Italy's intelligence agencies.
  • In 1977, with Legislative Act n.801 of 24/10/1977, this came after a former chief of SID, Vito Miceli
    Vito Miceli
    Vito Miceli was an Italian general and politician. He was chief of the SIOS , Italian Army Intelligence's Service from 1969 and SID's head from October 18, 1970 to 1974...

    , was arrested for "conspiration against the State" (See Golpe Borghese
    Golpe Borghese
    The Golpe Borghese was a failed Italian coup d'état allegedly planned for the night of 7 or 8 December 1970. It was named after Junio Valerio Borghese, an Italian World War II commander of the notorious Xª MAS unit, the "Black Prince", convicted of war crimes, but still a hero in the eyes of many...

    ), and the intelligence agencies were reorganized in a democratic attempt. This re-organization mainly consisted of:
    • The split of SID, the intelligence agency at that time, into two separate agencies with different roles: SISDE
      SISDE
      Servizio per le Informazioni e la Sicurezza Democratica , was the domestic intelligence agency of Italy.With the reform of the Italian Intelligence Services approved on 1 August 2007, SISDE was replaced by AISI....

       (the domestic one) and SISMI
      SISMI
      Servizio per le Informazioni e la Sicurezza Militare was the military intelligence agency of Italy from 1977-2007....

       (the military one).
    • The creation of CESIS, with a coordination role between the two intelligence agencies and the Presidency of the Council of Ministers.
    • The creation of the Parliamentary Committee, COPACO
      COPACO
      Comitato Parlamentare di Controllo per i Servizi di Informazione e Sicurezza e per il Segreto di Stato , is a body of the Italian Parliament deputed to survey and oversee the activities of the Italian intelligence agencies.- History :Since the end of World War II, Italian intelligence...

      , to oversee the activities of the two agencies.

  • Since 1 August 2007, with Legislative Act n.124 of 08/03/2007, following the reform of the Italian intelligence agencies, SISDE, SISMI and CESIS were replaced respectively by AISI
    Agenzia Informazioni e Sicurezza Interna
    The Agenzia Informazioni e Sicurezza Interna , commonly known as AISI, is the domestic intelligence agency of Italy...

    , AISE
    Agenzia Informazioni e Sicurezza Esterna
    The Agenzia Informazioni e Sicurezza Esterna , commonly known as AISE and formerly known as SISMI, is the external intelligence agency of Italy. Operating outside of Italy, the organisation protects Italy's regional interests mainly through the use of HUMINT.-External links:*...

     and DIS
    Dipartimento delle Informazioni per la Sicurezza
    The Dipartimento delle Informazioni per la Sicurezza is a department of the Presidency of the Council of Ministers of Italy, instituted in 2007 as part of the reform of the Italian security services...

    , and the COPACO was granted additional oversight and control powers.


CESIS's first Secretary General was Prefect
Prefect
Prefect is a magisterial title of varying definition....

 Gaetano Napoletano, the last one was Lieutenant General
Lieutenant General
Lieutenant General is a military rank used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages where the title of Lieutenant General was held by the second in command on the battlefield, who was normally subordinate to a Captain General....

 Giuseppe Cucchi.

Mission

CESIS was a collective body, chaired by the President of Council
Prime minister of Italy
The Prime Minister of Italy is the head of government of the Italian Republic...

, and composed of the main political, public security, military and intelligence agency top authorities:
  • The President of Council
    Prime minister of Italy
    The Prime Minister of Italy is the head of government of the Italian Republic...

     or, by proxy, another government authority.
  • The Secretary General of the President of the Council of Ministers' Office.
  • The Secretary General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
    Italian Minister of Foreign Affairs
    As in most countries, in Italy the Minister of Foreign Affairs, which is the head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, is one of the most important ministerial positions...

    .
  • The Chief of the General Staff
    Chief of the General Staff
    The Chief of the General Staff is a post in many armed forces , the head of the military staff.See also:*Chief of the General Staff *Chief of General Staff of Azerbaijani Armed Forces...

     of the Italian Defence
    Ministero della Difesa
    Ministero della Difesa is the Italian Ministry of Defence. It is responsible for military and civil defence, and also for weather forecasts.Giampaolo Di Paola is currently Italy's deputy defense minister.-External links:*...

    .
  • The Chief of Police
    Chief of police
    A Chief of Police is the title typically given to the top official in the chain of command of a police department, particularly in North America. Alternate titles for this position include Commissioner, Superintendent, and Chief constable...

     (In Italy, the top authority of the Polizia di Stato
    Polizia di Stato
    The Polizia di Stato is one of the national police forces of Italy.It is the main police force for providing police duties and it is also responsible for patrolling motorways , railways , airports , customs as well as certain waterways, and assisting the local police...

    ).
  • The Commanding Generals of the Arma dei Carabinieri
    Carabinieri
    The Carabinieri is the national gendarmerie of Italy, policing both military and civilian populations, and is a branch of the armed forces.-Early history:...

     and the Guardia di Finanza
    Guardia di Finanza
    The Guardia di Finanza is a Italian law enforcement agency under the authority of the Minister of Economy and Finance. Like the Carabinieri, it is part of the Italian Armed Forces. The Guard is essentially responsible for dealing with financial crime and smuggling; it has also evolved into Italy's...

     (in Italy, the two top authorities of the Arma dei Carabinieri and the Guardia di Finanza).
  • The Directors of SISDE and SISMI.
  • The Secretary General of CESIS.


The Secretary General of CESIS was not only a member, but, as the chief of General Secretariat of CESIS (see below), he also acted as the Secretary of this body.

The General Secretariat

The General Secretariat, the Office of the Secretary General, was a focal point which, amongst other things:
  • Acted as a link interface between the information collected by the two intelligence agencies and the political Authority.
  • Acted as a filter interface between the intelligence sector and the other public administration departments.
  • Coordinated and directed intelligence agencies' personnel.
  • Decided which foreign intelligence and security agencies SISDE and SISMI were allowed to establish contacts with.
  • Through the UCSI (Central Security Office), a structure located within the General Secretariat of CESIS, it:
    • authorized persons and companies to deal with classified information.
    • attended to the managements of the State Secrets.


By means of the General Secretariat, the President of Council ensures the unity of political leadership and management of the intelligence agencies.

The Secretary General exerted, by proxy, the role of ANS ("National Security Authority"), peculiar of the President of Council.

The Secretaries General

  • Gaetano Napoletano (1977-1978)
  • Walter Pelosi (1978-1981)
  • Orazio Sparano (1981-1987)
  • Giuseppe Richero (1987-1991)
  • Francesco Paolo Fulci (1991-1993)
  • Giuseppe Taormina (1993-1994)
  • Umberto Pierantoni (1994-1996)
  • Francesco Berardino (1996-2001)
  • Fernando Masone (2001-2003)
  • Emilio del Mese (2003 - 20 November 2006)
  • Giuseppe Cucchi (21 November 2006 - 3 August 2007)

External links

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