Conference in Loreto: on Tuesday 3 November, a discussion on peacekeeping took place at the Italian Air Force base. In attendance were military and religious authorities from the Marche Region, as well as serving and trainee personnel from the Unit, a class of pupils from the ‘G. Leopardi’ Classical and Scientific High School in Recanati (MC), and a delegation from the regional branches of the Air Force Association and retired personnel from the Unit. The conference was part of a series launched around two years ago at the unit and coincided with the various activities scheduled throughout the week across Italy – and therefore in Loreto – on the initiative of the Defence General Staff, to mark the celebrations for 4 November, National Unity Day and Armed Forces Day. Consequently, themed talks were organised at various schools, along with commemorations for the fallen, the ‘Open Barracks’ initiative – a day allowing members of the public to visit certain military units – and the closing celebrations in the square on 8 November. Drawing on his twenty years‘ experience in various peacekeeping missions abroad – recounted, amongst other things, in his book *Professione Peacekeeper: From Sarajevo to Nassiriyah – Stories from the Front Line* – Andrea Angeli highlighted the unique nature of each mission in relation to the political context and the specific circumstances characterising them. Ambassador Brunetti highlighted ’the political, social and economic characteristics of Afghanistan, emphasising the issue of reforming the justice system and the school education system“; according to the Ambassador, a possible solution would be to hold a global conference to provide appropriate responses to these complex issues. Guido Alferj then went on to highlight the important role of the correspondent who, ”on the ground“, can report the facts in increasingly ”embedded“ journalistic contexts – that is, ”from within the contingents“ – with objectivity and without claiming to possess the absolute truth. Following a brief summary by Colonel Mauro Sabbione, Commander of the School of Foreign Languages and the Non-Commissioned Officers” Advanced Training School, who emphasised the importance of “operating in peacekeeping missions with a deep sense of service”, the conference concluded with a series of questions from the audience aimed at exploring certain aspects in greater depth, such as the status of women in Islam and the difficulties in defining common ground within international organisations. The day ended with the speakers visiting the exhibition held at Villa Bonci, within the base, entitled ‘The Italian Air Force and Loreto: Paths through History’.
