After two intense years and structural reinforcement of the Sigonella base, Colonel Di Francesco leaves the Command of the 41st Anti-Submarine Wing and the airport of the same name.
On Thursday 5th September 2024, the ceremony for the change of command of the 41st Anti-Submarine Wing and the Sigonella Air Force Airport took place at the Sigonella aircraft maintenance hangar, between the outgoing Commander Colonel Emanuele Di Francesco and the incoming Commander Colonel Stefano Spreafico.
The event was chaired by the Commander of the Air Force's Mobility and Support Forces (AM), Air Division General Enrico Maria Degni, and by the Naval Aviation Inspector, Air Division General Francesco Saverio Agresti.
To seal the ceremony, the War Flag of the 41st Wing, adorned with two Silver Medals for Military Valour and one for Civil Valour, was present, along with deployed personnel, and religious, civil, and military authorities from Eastern Sicily. The main local associations, along with the commanders and representatives of other national and foreign entities present at the Sicilian Airport for various reasons, could not be absent. Among these were the major domestic units, the 11th Aircraft Maintenance Department and the 61st Predator Flight Group, and the resident international units – the American Naval Air Station and the NATO ISR Force – as well as the Polish contingent engaged in Eunavformed Irini operations.
Colonel Di Francesco, with emotion and gratitude, wished to thank those present and, in particular, his own personnel and the other entities on the base who supported him with punctuality and professionalism over the two years. He explained the feelings and experiences he had in Sicily, emphasizing that: “On this magnificent island, I leave a piece of my heart. I didn't cry, as they say, when I arrived, but I feel I could weep when, in a few days, the incessant flow of life will take me away from here. Here I have encountered professional excellence, wonderful nature, culture, passion, and human warmth. Thank you to the cities of Catania and Syracuse, to the many neighbouring municipalities, thank you to all Sicilians for the esteem and affection you have shown and never failed to give to the Sigonella base.”. Al Col Spreafico said that: “The team you are about to lead is capable of expressing enormous potential. A challenging job awaits you, but together with them, I wish you to achieve highly prestigious results.”.
Colonel Spreafico, during his speech, after thanking those present and the AM leadership for the trust placed in him, outlined his first objective: “In the current complex geopolitical scenario, characterised by extremely diverse challenges and threats, we must be ready to actively play our part with courage, initiative and determination. To do this, it is essential, through teamwork, to demonstrate concrete operational capabilities – effectively and punctually. This will be my top priority.”Addressing the staff, he added that:“I will do my utmost to put you in the best conditions to express all your abilities in a healthy and stimulating work environment.”.
General Agresti, in greeting those attending the event, paid his respectful respects to the highly decorated flag of the 41st Anti-Submarine Wing. He then addressed all personnel to highlight, during the masterful management of Colonel Di Francesco, their daily and excellent performance within the specific context: “This Department, indeed already multifaceted and complex, is known and respected within our Armed Forces as well as internationally. In fact, it remains truly unique, both for its numerous organisational and operational peculiarities, and for its foundational and structural nature, which has always aligned and seen Air Force and Navy personnel operating side-by-side with a level of integration, professionalism, and efficiency that still finds very few equals. It is an irreplaceable operational bastion of our Defence's capacity, within the emerging landscape of international security.
General Degni, while highlighting the evident structural and operational growth of Sigonella, thanked those present and Colonel Di Francesco for a job well done. “...you have played the role of commander without reservations, without compromise, with the utmost transparency and dignity, with the sole aim of achieving the highest goals, always putting general needs first, allowing the department to best represent an example of interforce synergy and an example of international collaboration, which sees the Italian military component providing logistical and operational support to colleagues from other countries. Support activity is a silent activity, almost taken for granted, and its importance is only realised when something is lacking.”. He wished the incoming Commander a peaceful and fruitful term.
The Sigonella Air Base Command is under the command of the Mobility and Support Forces Command (CFMS) in Rome. It provides operational, technical, logistical, and administrative support to the units and departments deployed and in transit at the airbase of the same name, ensuring the continuous provision of services necessary for the safe and effective conduct of flight activities. These services include, among others, ground technical assistance, refuelling, meteorological services, firefighting, health assistance, and the availability of recreational and accommodation facilities. Furthermore, it is responsible for providing air traffic services within the control zone (CTR) designated “Catania,” which covers the airspace of eastern Sicily and adjacent seas, including the Sigonella Military Airport and the civilian airports of Catania-Fontanarossa and Comiso (RG). The CFMS is under the command of the Air Squad Command and exercises its responsibilities regarding the training, preparation, and operational readiness of its departments to ensure they acquire and maintain the expected levels of operational readiness.
The 41st Anti-Submarine Wing in Sigonella, hierarchically dependent on the Inspectorate of Aviation for the Navy, is equipped with “P-72A” aircraft, with which it guarantees its primary mission of maritime surveillance, countering illicit trafficking and international terrorism, and safeguarding human life at sea over long distances, as well as protecting the main maritime traffic routes in the southern sectors of the Mediterranean. The P-72A crews are composed of pilot officers and petty officer aircrew who belong to the Air Force and the Navy. This typical characteristic has been a well-tested and efficient example of inter-force synergy and cooperation since 1965, placing it well ahead of the strong inter-force development of the military instrument characteristic of recent years. For this reason, following the establishment of Anti-Submarine Aviation in 1957, the 41st Wing maintains a typically joint force character and is perfectly integrated through the union of two Components (Air Force and Navy). The anti-submarine aircraft, formerly Grumman and Atlantic and today the P72A, are in fact dependent on the Navy for operational deployment, which assesses and determines all operational missions that can be assigned to them, while technical-logistical activities and technical-professional training are the responsibility of the Air Force, to which the 41st Wing is subordinate.
