He was born in Potenza on 27 October 1876, and at age eighteen he volunteered for the Royal Italian Army, attending the Military Academy of Modena and graduating as second lieutenant in 1896.

He was promoted to lieutenant in 1900, and to captain in 1911; following the outbreak of the Italian-Turkish war he left for Libya, where in command of a company of the 35th Infantry Regiment "Pistoia", he participated in the battles of Derna and Misrata.

In February 1936 Pavone was repatriated, owing to disagreements with Graziani and his growing dissent towards the Fascist regime, and was placed on sick leave for two years, effectively ending his active career.

Together with Action Party members Pasquale Schiano, Raimondo Craveri and Alberto Tarchiani, on 24 September 1943 Pavone had a meeting with General William J. Donovan of the Office of Strategic Services at the headquarters of the US 5th Army in Paestum, which resulted in them obtaining the authorization to create the combat groups.

The first of a thousand volunteers started to enlist from 10 October, training in the countryside under the command of Pavone; however, both king Victor Emmanuel III and the head of the "southern" government, Pietro Badoglio, refused to accept the establishment of Italian units outside their control, and pressured the British into ordering the disbandment of the combat groups on 1 November 1943.