Colonel GArn Attilio Di Diodato takes over from Colonel AArnn Marco Fraccaroli at the helm of the National Centre for Aerospace Meteorology and Climatology.
Wednesday 31 July saw the change of command ceremony at the helm of National Centre of Aerospace Meteorology and Climatology of Pratica di Mare, chaired by Commander 9a ISTAR-EW Air Brigade - Brig. Gen. Danilo Morando.
Numerous authorities attended the ceremony, including the Commander of D.A.S.A.S. Major General D.A. Alessandro De Lorenzo and the Head of SMA AVIAMM General Office Gen. Luca Baione.
In his speech, the outgoing Director, Colonel Marco Fraccaroli, he retraced the most significant milestones achieved over the two years he has been at the helm of the Centre, starting with the merger process between two previous entities located at the Pratica di Mare site, which led to the birth of the National Centre for Meteorology and Aerospace Climatology, meaning that ”Change is never easy to face; it requires courage, decisiveness and, above all, understanding and assimilation of the reasons that drive us to implement it, thereby presenting a united and compact front against the difficulties that must be faced along the way. Among the objectives achieved, the Col. Fraccaroli has highlighted the achievement and maintenance of the NRF Mission Capable achieving the “IMETOC Lead Nation NRF” certification for the years 2023 and 2024 with SHAPE's appreciation for the demonstrated quality and professionalism.
The incoming Director, Colonel Attilio Di Diodato, in taking the floor, thanked the Superior Authorities for the trust placed in him with the new role, a prestigious position rich in responsibility. He emphasised that “Meteorology, by its very nature, is a dual resource for the country, and as such, the Italian Air Force Meteorological Service is constantly called upon to provide timely support, accuracy, and effectiveness of air, naval, and space sector operations, but also numerous civilian applications (...) among these, the daily contribution offered by the CNMCA to the Department of Civil Protection as a Centre of Expertise, for the safeguarding and security of the population and territory, certainly stands out. Furthermore, the Col. Di Diodato he focused on the ongoing restructuring of the Armed Forces“ meteorological sector that "will require further efforts from the Centre, particularly in the area of staff training and development, a crucial sector indispensable for transferring knowledge and know-how between personnel who are about to leave and those who are imminently to be assigned.
It General Danilo Moraldo, Commander of the 9tha Air Brigade, after thanking the authorities present and the kind guests, emphasised that: “Command of a Corps, for professional satisfaction and experience, is certainly the highest aspiration for an Officer, but it is also synonymous with commitment, dedication, and sacrifice. In his speech, he congratulated the outgoing Director on how he had managed the Centre, highlighting “appreciation both nationally and internationally for the work carried out daily. Furthermore, in his speech, General Morando focused on the dual importance of meteorology, both as support for military operations and as citizenship support role in order to make it resilient to weather adversities due to climate change; Finally, he expressed his best wishes to Colonel Di Diodato for the prestigious position he has taken on.
National Centre of Meteorology and Aerospace Climatology is the Operating core of the Air Force Meteorological Service and its tasks, among others, include receiving all terrestrial and space observations, preparing mathematical models for weather forecasting, and Space Weather ever more performant, from the management of the quality of data collected and disseminated, to the preparation of climatological data essential for the logistical and operational readiness of assets in OFCN operations. The CNMCA in particular, operates in the field of operational meteorology in support of the Joint Operations Command, of aeronautical meteorology as Meteorological Watch Office in accordance with ICAO for the entire national territory, of marine meteorology with the issuing of gale warnings and the bulletin for mariners (METEOMAR), of general meteorology with weather forecasts, both on a regional and national scale, to be disseminated via the web and national mass media, to daily forecast support for the Department of Civil Protection, as National Competence Centre and as reported in the Prime Ministerial Decree of 27/02/2004, and, finally, of forecasts for Space Weather for Defence arrangements.
The Meteorological Service of the Italian Air Force, operates throughout the national territory to fulfil its assigned tasks, carrying out atmospheric measurement and monitoring activities, data centralisation, processing and analysis, and the production of climatological and meteorological products for the needs of the Defence sector, with particular reference to assistance for military and civil air navigation, support for operations within and outside national borders, support for State bodies – including notably the National Department of Civil Protection – and representation in national and supranational organisations such as NATO, WMO, ECMWF and EUMETSAT.
