The ceremony for the handover between Colonel Guarino and Colonel Russi was presided over by General De Rubeis, Colonel Russi takes over from Colonel Guarino. On Wednesday 12th September, at the hangar of the 16th Field Engineer Group of Bari Palese, the ceremony for the handover of command of the 3rd Engineer Department took place, in the presence of Inspector General Alberto De Rubeis, Head of Infrastructure Services of the Air Force Logistics Command, and other local military and civilian authorities. Colonel Salvatore Guarino, outgoing Commander, handed over to Colonel Giuseppe Russi, incoming Commander.
Colonel Guarino ends his tenure after two years and, in his farewell speech, bidding farewell to the assembled authorities, wished to reflect on his time spent in Palese, recalling with deep emotion the work carried out with great professionalism by the military and civilian personnel of the Department and the Technical Services Department for Infrastructure (S.T.D.I.) employees in carrying out their unique and delicate tasks. The incoming Commander, Colonel Russi, took the floor, thanking General De Rubeis for granting him this prestigious opportunity, underlining his desire to work to best fulfil the task entrusted to him, continuing on the path already laid by his predecessor, in an extremely complex but fundamental sector for the Armed Force, and he recounted his time in Palese, when as a young Officer in 1992, he was assigned to the then 16th Field Engineering Department. Colonel Russi then addressed a farewell speech to all the personnel. General Inspector Alberto De Rubeis, during his speech at the conclusion of the ceremony, recognised Colonel Guarino's commendable professional qualities, mentioning the excellent results achieved during these two years of Command, referring to the valuable work carried out in Taormina for the G7, and the complex works in Amendola related to the arrival of the F35, successfully guaranteeing all support for the Armed Force.
The 3rd Air Force Engineers Department carries out studies, designs, tenders and execution of works necessary to ensure the availability and efficiency of the infrastructure used by the Air Force and NATO. Through the subordinate 16th Field Engineers Group and the Technical Services Detached Units for Infrastructure, it oversees the construction and extraordinary maintenance of all airport infrastructure and technological systems, both through external contractors and with its own personnel and resources, supporting the flying units of the Air Force in Southern Italy, including Sicily. Furthermore, within joint forces contexts, it contributes, with its own personnel and resources, to the formation of mobile infrastructural operational support units, both nationally and abroad, in compliance with commitments arising from international agreements, also providing support, where required, to Civil Protection in the event of natural disasters.
