The ceremony for the awarding of the coveted “Blue Beret” was held at the Martina Franca Department's headquarters in the presence of the Commander of the 1st Special Operations Air Brigade. An event attended by religious, civil and military authorities, including the Commander of the 1st Special Operations Air Brigade (B.A.O.S.) of Rome, Air Brigadier General Stefano Fort, the Mayor of Martina Franca, Dr. Franco Ancona, and the Rector of the Basilica of San Martino, Don Franco Semeraro.
The newly qualified soldiers will join the 16th Wing’s Air Rifle Battalion. The new riflemen received the coveted ‘Bascod’ from the instructors of the 12th intake, who, for over five months, oversaw the cadets’ training, assessing their adaptability, composure, alertness, as well as their ability to operate in various scenarios over extended periods. This intensive specialisation programme was successfully completed by only 50% of the trainees.
“Anyone who has chosen the military profession knows how important the closeness and support of family and loved ones are, in order to carry out a demanding and not risk-free job with peace of mind.” recalled Colonel Paternò, Commander of the 16th Wing, then turning to a “Thank you, from the men in blue, to the citizens and institutions of Martina for their daily support, and to the many family members who had gathered. During his speech, General Fort congratulated the newly commissioned Air Riflemen on achieving an important milestone in their professional development within the Land Defence sector. The Commander of the 1st B.A.O.S. then emphasised the significance of the contribution that the Air Riflemen have long made to national security, operating both in Italy and abroad with commitment, dedication, courage and determination. During the day, the audiometric booth located at the 16th Wing’s local Corps Infirmary was also inaugurated. This is a device for carrying out diagnostic tests as part of the medical protocols required to assess fitness for service as an Air Rifleman.The equipment, together with the other medical facilities already available at the Wing, will help to reduce the costs incurred in carrying out examinations at external facilities. Since August 2005, a detachment from the Air Rifle Battalion has been deployed continuously in Afghanistan as part of the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) operation, to provide force protection for the Forward Support Base (FSB) in Herat. Recently, a group of Air Riflemen operated in Iceland in support of Operation “Frozen Skies”, a mission to monitor Icelandic airspace, carried out on a rotational basis by various NATO partners. For around a month, the Air Riflemen provided an appropriate security framework for the personnel and the Eurofighter aircraft deployed on the mission. The Air Riflemen are constantly engaged in national exercises, such as Star Vega 2013, and international ones, such as Bolt Quest 2013; the latter, held in North Carolina (USA), enabled the personnel from Martina Franca to operate as Joint Terminal Air Controllers (JTACs), a specialisation that allows personnel to interact, from forward positions, with aircraft on tactical support missions for ground forces. The 16th Wing “Force Protection” also serves as the national training centre for the attainment of the “ground defence” specialism by all officers, non-commissioned officers and enlisted personnel of the Armed Forces. Within the Wing, in fact, there is the Survive to Operate/Force Protection (STO/FP) Training Group, which is the unit responsible for training leading to the qualification of Air Rifleman and the attainment of the specialism. Since the beginning of 2013, specialisation courses and training “work placements” have been held at the Wing’s facilities for around 200 participants, including students on the standard courses at the Air Force Academy and the Marshals’ School.
