Lieutenant General Silvano Frigerio

General Manager NETMA NETMA

Since 1st August 2026, Lt.Gen. Silvano "Fritz" Frigerio has been the General Manager of NATO's Eurofighter and Tornado Management Agency – NETMA - headquartered in Munich, Germany. On behalf of the four nations participating in NETMA — Germany, Italy, Spain and the United Kingdom — he is responsible for the proper development and management of the Eurofighter and Tornado weapon system programmes, with an overall budget for 2026 of approximately € 8 billion. Prior to assuming his current position, from June 2025 until 31st July 2026, Lt.Gen. Frigerio served as Commander of the Air Force Operational Command and of the 1st Air Region, headquartered in Milan, Italy. In this role, he oversaw more than 60 training and operational units and air bases (approximately 18,000 military and civilian personnel) and was responsible for the training, force generation and readiness of the forces, as well as for the agile, adaptive and effective employment of Air and Space Power. During the same period, concluding on 31st July 2026, he also acted as IT Head of Delegation of the NAMMO/NEFMO Joint Steering Committee In September 2007, Lt.Gen Frigerio was assigned to the Air Staff's Air and Space Plans Division, initially serving as Chief of the Operational Capabilities Office, responsible for force generation and preliminary operations planning. He later became Chief of the General Planning and Transformation Office, where he was tasked with shaping the future structure of the Air Force, planning upcoming capabilities, and contributing to NATO's Planning Process. During this period, he also chaired the Italy–United States Bilateral Working Group, coordinating the deployment of a U.S. Global Hawk detachment at Sigonella Air Base and the operational use of U.S. unmanned aerial systems in Italy. In 2011, he assumed the role of Deputy Chief of the Plans and Policy Division of the Italian Defence General Staff. He was initially responsible for alliance policy and the strategic direction of operations, and later for the overall strategic planning of the Italian Armed Forces. He also represented the Chief of Defence Staff at the NATO High-Level Group. From 2016 to 2019, Lt.Gen. Frigerio commanded the Air Force Combat Forces, overseeing the operational readiness of assigned units, the standardisation of training activities, the continuous updating of operational plans and procedures, and the availability of weapon systems, infrastructure, and support equipment. Between July 2017 and July 2020, he concurrently served as Commander of the 1st Air Region, and from September 2019 to July 2020, he also held the position of Chief of the Air Force General Financial Administration Department. In July 2020, he was appointed Deputy Commander of the Italian Joint Operations Command in Rome, with responsibility for the planning, coordination, and execution of national and international military operations. From October to December 2021, he assumed full command of the Joint Operations Command. From January 2022 to June 2025, Lt.Gen. Frigerio served as Commander of the Italian Air Force Education and Training Command and 3rd Air Region, where he directed the recruitment and professional development of Air Force personnel.