R. Adm. Giovanni Battista Piegaja
Operation ATALANTA Deputy Commander
Djibouti, 21 July 2019 — During a meeting with the French Forces stationed in Djibouti (FFDJ), Operation ATALANTA Deputy Commander R. Adm. Giovanni Battista Piegaja and Force Commander R. Adm. Armando Paolo Simi spoke with French Base Commander Colonel Francois Tricot and Deputy COMFOR FFDJ Colonel Emmanuel Antoine. The FFDJ hosts the Support Element ATALANTA (SEA) and the Maritime Patrol Reconnaissance Aircrafts (MPRA) Detachments from Spain and Germany on the Air Base (BA 188).
Deputy Operation Commander R. Adm. Giovanni Battista Piegaja (right) meets with French Base Commander Colonel Francois Tricot (centre) and Deputy COMFOR FFDJ Colonel Emmanuel Antoine (left) on 21 July.
During the meeting, R. Adm. Piegaja expressed gratitude to the French Armed Forces for the support they provide to the Operation ATALANTA MPRAs, the Support Element ATALANTA and the Autonomous Vessel Protection Detachments (AVPDs) when they are stationed in Djibouti.
“I would like to express gratitude on behalf of the EU NAVFOR Operation Commander for the great support provided by French Armed Forces in Djibouti,” said R. Adm. Piegaja. “The close coordination and support given is crucial for the operation. You are a key partner for ATALANTA.”
R. Adm Piegaja also took the opportunity to visit the ROLE 2, a French military healthcare facility that provides healthcare support to EU NAVFOR. The ROLE 2 provides EU NAVFOR forces with necessary emergency medical services including evacuation, triage and resuscitation, surgical and dental treatment and holding of patients until they can be returned to duty or relocated for further medical care.
The visit to the ROLE 2 was hosted by the Director of the FFDJ, MCS De la Torre Pierre and led by the ROLE 2 Chief MC Malan Lionel. At the end of the visit, R. Adm. Piegaja presented ROLE 2 Chief MC Malan Lionel with a token of appreciation.
View photos of the ROLE 2 facility visit below:
