Lieutenant General Giuseppe Emilio Gay attended the Italian Military Academy in Modena, and was commissioned as a 2^nd Lieutenant in 1971.
Following two years of specialisation training in Turin, he was assigned as a First Lieutenant to the 182^nd ”Garibaldi” Armoured Regiment and later, as a Captain, he commanded a tank company in the 13^th “M.O. Pascucci” Tank Battalion.

Following the Basic and Advanced Courses of the Italian Army General Staff College, he served as a Staff Officer at the North Eastern District’s Estate & Facilities Office, the Army General Staff’s Personnel Division, the Army Corps’ HQ (Chief G3), the Army General Staff’s Logistic Division (Chief G4) and the 1^st Command Force of Defence (COS).

LTG Gay’s command experience includes Commander of the 7^th Tank Battalion “M.O. Di Dio” in Vivaro, Commander of the 1st Armoured Regiment in Teulada, Deputy Commander and Commander of the 132^nd “Ariete” Armoured Brigade in Pordenone – during this assignment he commanded the Multinational Brigade West in Pec (Kosovo 1999 – 2000) – Deputy Commander of the Kosovo Force, in Pristina (2003 – 2004), Deputy Commander of the Allied Rapid Reaction Corps (2004 – 2007) – during this appointment he spent a tour as Deputy Commander (Stability) of ISAF IX in Kabul (2006) - and Commander of Land Forces Support HQ.

He has received numerous military decorations, badges and ribbons. Besides this he has been awarded the Italian Army Bronze Medal for Gallantry, the First Class Medal “Don Alfonso HENRIQUES” of the Portuguese Army, the German Army Gold Cross for Honour and Meritorious Officer Cross with Swords of Malta’s Sovereign Military Order. He also was conferred with the title of Commander of the Italian Republic Order of Merit and the title of Knight of the Italian Military Order.

LTG Gay holds a Bachelor’s degree and a Master’s degree in Strategic Sciences from the University of Turin, a Bachelor’s degree in International and Diplomatic Sciences from the University of Trieste and a post-graduate degree in Classical Sciences from the “Accademia Agostiniana” – Lateran University of Rome.

Lieutenant General Gay assumed the appointment of Commander NRDC-ITA on 4^th September 2007.

On 16 April 2010 He was appointed Commander of the Italian Army Application School, situated in Turin.

He is married to Anna and they have two adult children.