EU committee appoints Brigadier General Ivan Falasca as EUTM Somalia force commander

The Political and Security Committee has appointed Brigadier General Ivan FALASCA as EU Mission Force Commander for the European Union military mission to contribute to the training of Somali security forces (EUTM Somalia), with effect from 30 September 2026. The appointment was adopted in Brussels on 17 September 2026 and published in the Official Journal of the European Union on 23 September 2026 as Political and Security Committee Decision (CFSP) 2026/2147. The same act repeals the previous appointment decision and enters into force on the day the new commander takes up his post.

Legal basis and the body that decides

The decision rests on Article 38 of the Treaty on European Union and on Article 5(1) of Council Decision 2010/96/CFSP of 15 February 2010, the act that established the mission. Under that provision, the Political and Security Committee exercises the political control and strategic direction of EUTM Somalia and is authorised to take the relevant decisions, including those concerning the appointment of the EU Mission Force Commander.

The mission itself is a European Union military mission whose stated purpose is to contribute to the training of Somali security forces. The appointment decision is therefore an operational act taken within an existing framework rather than a new mandate.

A succession prepared since July

The handover was set in motion well before the summer. The file records the following sequence:

• 27 January 2026: the Political and Security Committee adopted Decision (CFSP) 2026/236, appointing Brigadier General Elio MANES as EU Mission Force Commander from 30 January 2026; that decision repealed Decision (CFSP) 2025/1398 (EUTM Somalia/1/2026).
• 20 July 2026: the Italian military authorities proposed Colonel Ivan FALASCA to succeed Brigadier General Elio MANES, indicating that he would be promoted to Brigadier General before taking up the post.
• 29 July 2026: the EU Military Committee recommended the appointment with effect from 30 September 2026.
• 30 July 2026: the EU Mission Commander for EUTM Somalia also supported the proposed appointment.

The published text confirms that the rank change took effect: Article 1 appoints Brigadier General Ivan FALASCA, not Colonel, as EU Mission Force Commander.

What the decision changes

Three operative provisions carry the legal effect of the act:

• Article 1 appoints Brigadier General Ivan FALASCA as EU Mission Force Commander for EUTM Somalia from 30 September 2026.
• Article 2 repeals Decision (CFSP) 2026/236, the act that had appointed his predecessor.
• Article 3 sets the entry into force of the decision at 30 September 2026, aligning it with the start of the new commander’s term.

The decision is signed for the Political and Security Committee by its Chairperson, L. MANDEL VENSILD, and carries the European Legislation Identifier http://data.europa.eu/eli/dec/2026/2147/oj.

Why it matters

The change of force commander comes at a moment when the European Union’s training mission in Somalia depends on continuity of command, and the file shows a deliberately staged process: proposal by the contributing national authorities in July, military recommendation, support from the mission’s own commander, and formal adoption by the Political and Security Committee in September. For readers tracking EU crisis management, Decision (CFSP) 2026/2147 is the reference text that fixes who leads the mission’s force component from 30 September 2026 and which earlier act it replaces.

Source: Official Journal of the European Union, L series, No 2026/2147, 23 September 2026, section I, p. 1–2 (official reference: CELEX L_20262147).