AFM officer returns from Lebanon deployment

The Armed Forces of Malta (AFM) has returned from a 10-week deployment with the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL).  

This was the second such  deployment to UNIFIL, after a similar one had taken place in 2007. 

Captain Joseph Spiteri, 34, served in UNIFIL's Sector West Brigade Headquarters within the G9 (Civil Military Cooperation) Branch.

"His deployment offered practical operational experience on civil military cooperation in view of his future employment in this area on a European level," the AFM said. 

Capt Spiteri will be shortly taking up Malta's post on the European Union Military Staff in Brussels, where he will be employed as a Staff Officer in the Crisis Management and Current Operations Branch, specifically in the area of Civil Military Cooperation.

Civil-Military Co-operation (CIMIC) is the military function through which a commander links to civilian agencies active in a theatre of operations.  

The Maltese officer's deployment was made possible through the close cooperation which exists between the Maltese and Italian military services.