Handover at the 4th Wing of Grosseto: Colonel Morelli hands over Command to Colonel Spuntoni Great emotion in Colonel Morelli's words, who, during his farewell speech, declared: “IIn a challenging time for our country, it is certainly not easy to be a member of the military; we are expected to be operational and flexible, with common sense and pragmatism, sobriety and efficiency, qualities that are not easy to reconcile, but which have seen the 4th Wing confirm itself and excel at both a local and an Air Force level. To be a valuable resource for the region, an integral part of the social fabric, and to strengthen ourselves as a point of reference for the Air Force is what we have demonstrated in these two years, during which we have been committed to upholding the name of a Wing that, celebrating its 80 years of continuous activity, has always managed to earn esteem, appreciation, prestige, and consideration.”.
Colonel Morelli, who leaves the Wing Command after two years, will take up the post of Head of the 2nd Office “Operational Capabilities” of the 3rd Department of the Air Force Staff. Colonel Luca Spuntoni, for his part, stressed that he intends to direct his Command action “towards the pursuit of maximum operational capacity, security and effectiveness of action, together with the linearity and balanced sobriety that these difficult times demand, with careful and particular attention to staff”. “I am certain – continued Colonel Spuntoni – Together, we will find a way to lead the Wing towards ever more ambitious achievements. Paraphrasing a famous phrase by Gabriele D'Annunzio written to Francesco Baracca in 1918, we will take the 4th Wing higher and further.”.
General Tosi, during his speech, recalled the importance of the values represented by the War Flag of the 4th Wing, “values that daily inspire the hearts of the Wing's servicemen, always ready to operate in international contexts. The professionalism of the personnel and the effectiveness of the Eurofighter weapon system have confirmed the high level of interoperability achieved with other NATO and other Nations‘ assets, as demonstrated during the ’Unified Protector' Libyan mission.’ ”.
Colonel Luca Spuntoni attended the Air Force Academy on the “Grifo IV” Course, obtaining a degree in Aeronautical Sciences and, subsequently, a degree in Political Sciences from the University of Trieste. He attended the Joint Services Staff College from 2006 to 2007, also obtaining a Master's degree in International Studies. After earning his military pilot's wings in 1991, he qualified on the SF-260, MB-339A, MB-339CD, G.91 T, TF-104G, F.104 ASA and Tornado F3 ADV aircraft, accumulating approximately 2,900 flying hours, of which around 2,800 were on jet aircraft, and achieving numerous operational qualifications in Air Defence roles. Colonel Spuntoni has participated in numerous multinational operations, flying dozens of combat missions and earning the Gold Badge for combat operations in the “Fighter” specialisation. He initially carried out his operational duties in Cameri and, subsequently, from 1999 to 2006, in Gioia del Colle, where he also held the position of Commander of the XII Interceptor Group. From 2008 to 2011, he served at the Defence Staff, the General Office for Planning, Programming and Budget, and the 6th Department of the Air Staff.
From September 2011 to April 2012, he commanded the Al Bateen Air Task Force (United Arab Emirates).
