The handover ceremony was attended by General S.A. Giuseppe Bernardis, Chief of Staff of the A.M. Numerous civil, religious and military authorities participated in the ceremony; the flag of the 61st Squadron of Lecce; the formations of personnel belonging to the Command of Schools of the A.M./3rd Air Region; the flags of the Puglia Region and the Province of Bari; and the banners of Combatant and Military Associations.
In his speech, General Cormio first extended a special greeting to the splendid city of Bari, the historic seat of a prestigious Command of the then Royal Air Force since the mid-1930s, the Fourth Territorial Air Zone, and, still today, a welcoming and generous city whose citizens continue to demonstrate a loving sentiment of friendship for the Air Force and the Armed Forces. The General then continued by stating:’Being responsible for the successful outcome of the educational and training activities of the Italian youth, who voluntarily choose to become part of the Blue Army, represents a difficult commitment that must be approached without reservations, with absolute dedication, openness and intellectual honesty, and enthusiasm. And if the statement that the absolute value of an organization is represented by its human resources is true, then it becomes evident the importance and strategic role that training takes on. In this perspective, our attention is focused on the men and women who aspire to become part of the Aeronautica Squadra to become technicians, staff members, leaders and Commanders of the future.“.
At the end of his speech, the outgoing Commander expressed heartfelt thanks to all the staff for the work carried out and to General Ottone a warm welcome in Bari.
General Ottone, in turn, expressed his gratitude to the Chief of Staff of the Air Force for the assignment entrusted to him and, after the respectful salute to the Institute Flag of the 61st Squadron, declared:“I assume this prestigious position today, aware of the significant responsibilities that it entails, aware of the challenges that will certainly arise at a particular moment in our aviation history, which still sees an extraordinary commitment by the Armed Forces in numerous theaters of operation, in a general situation of contingency for the country that is unprecedented.”. General Ottone also dedicated a thought to the Fallen, in the example of whom he will try to reaffirm the sense of service to the Armed Forces and the country that guided him in his now almost forty-year career as an Air Force Officer. In conclusion, he addressed a special greeting to the city of Bari and Puglia, which have always been linked to the Armed Forces by feelings of deep friendship and great respect, sentiments reciprocated and witnessed by the significant presence of Commands and Bases of the Air Force.
General of the Air Force Giuseppe Bernardis, finally, after greeting the Authorities and the guests present, intervened emphasizing that the transition to the top of a High Command, such as that between General Ottone and General Cormio, constitutes an element of continuity in the life of the Armed Forces. The change of Command at the top of the Schools Command was also an opportunity for the Chief of Staff of the Air Force to make some observations regarding the complex challenges that await the Armed Forces: “The Air Force, like the other Armed Forces, has had to radically review its organizational structure over the past few years and, increasingly urgently, has had to promptly reorganize itself to meet the demand for efficiency and effectiveness arising from today’s multifaceted training requirements, which underpin the use of these resources without interruption. – continued General Bernardis – What is of interest to the Armed Forces has been evident especially in the context of the Command of Schools, which for years has seen a decrease in the number of students at every level, with consequences proven by the necessary downsizing.”.
General Bernardis, at the end of his speech, thanked General Cormio for what he had accomplished during his period of command in the vacancy and for the excellent and tireless contribution he had provided as Deputy Commander and Chief of Staff of the Schools Command, and, addressing General Ottone, said he was certain that he would be able to tackle the new assignment with the same dedication, consistency and commitment qualities that had always distinguished him.
Air General Mario Renzo Ottone was born in Arona (NO) in 1952 and joined the Air Academy in 1973 with the “Orione III” course.
After obtaining the military pilot's license in 1978, he served as a “combat ready” pilot on the F-104S aircraft at the 23rd CIO Group of the 5th Flight of Rimini, until 1982.
Qualified in 1984 as a Pilot Test Engineer/Experimenter at the Empire Test Pilot School in Boscombe Down (UK); in 1989-90 he commanded the 311th Flight Group of the Experimental Flight Department, after having held the positions of Head of Flight Test Section and Head of Operations Office within the same Department. During this period he participated in important programs for the development of the Armed Forces“ weapon systems, such as the intensive tests of the AMX aircraft, the ”Mid-life update“ program for the Tornado, the development of the prototypes of the A-129 Mangusta and EH-101 helicopters, as well as the ”interim fighter” program F-104 ASA.
During the period 1990-92, he was Flight Assistant to the Chief of Staff of the Air Force and, subsequently, was assigned to Washington (USA), with the assignment of Assistant Aeronautical Officer at the Italian Embassy (1992-95).
Returning from abroad, after having been assigned for one year, 1995-1996, to the Air Staff 1st Department, as Head of the 4th Training Office, he was assigned to Trapani to take over the command of the 37th Squadron, until 1998.
Upon returning to Rome, he was assigned to the Inter-Service Operational Command, within which he held the position of Head of the J5 Planning Division from 1998 to 2001, and from 2001 to 2005 that of Head of the Planning Department. From August 25, 2005, he held the position of Commander of the 1st Division – C.S.V. of the Air Force Logistics Command.
On August 21, 2007, he assumed the position of Deputy Commander of the NATO Air Component Command in Izmir (Turkey).
Upon returning to Italy on August 2, 2010, he assumed the duties of Commander of the newly established Air Operations Command (COA), Commander of the 5th NATO Combined Air Operations Center (CAOC5), and, until December 30, 2010, Deputy Operational Commander of the Air Force of Poggio Renatico.
During his career, in addition to the normal and advanced courses at the War School provided for in the training process for A.M. Officers, he attended the “Pilot Evaluator/Test Pilot” courses at the ETPS (UK) in 1984 and the “Joint Combined Air Staff Course” at the USAF in 1998.
General Ottone has over 3000 hours of flight experience, on over 50 different types of aircraft and helicopters, and holds a Bachelor's degree in Aeronautical Sciences.
General Ottone is awarded the following honors: Mauriziana Medal; Commendatore della Repubblica Italiana; Gold Medal for Long-Distance Air Navigation; Gold Medal for seniority of service; NATO Medal for Service with NATO on Operations related to Kosovo and ex-Yugoslavia; Commemorative Cross for contribution to maintaining international security in Afghanistan.
