He commanded the NATO International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in Afghanistan from August 2005 to May 2006 and was succeeded by British general David Richards.

Del Vecchio was born in Rome, Italy, and graduated from the Military Academy of Modena in 1967.

After his promotion to the rank of Generale di Brigata he led the infantry brigade Garibaldi.

From September 2007 to March 2008, he was the commаnder of Joint Operations Command that oversaw the deployment of Italian forces around the world.

In the early months of 2008, he resigned from his position as commander of Comando operativo Interforze as he was running in the 2008 general election for the Democratic Party.