On Wednesday 7 April, the handover ceremony took place with General (Air Force) Giancotti, in the presence of General (Army) Lodovisi, Deputy Chief of the General Staff. General Giancotti is stepping down as head of the Unit after almost four years. In his speech, after paying tribute to Colonel Francesco Migliaccio, a member of the Corps who recently passed away, he highlighted how “rapidly the Armed Forces are changing – and in the right direction – to respond to the fast-paced and intense challenges we face today. The 111 major regulatory measures of recent years and the many other initiatives currently underway, all working towards the same vision, bear witness to the organisation’s vitality”. General Giancotti then highlighted “the excellent calibre and potential of the younger generations, which must be fully harnessed for the extraordinary results they can deliver, and made a strong case for the strategic need to work as a team – in a deeply collaborative yet highly disciplined manner – to operate effectively in this new, challenging environment, whilst putting an end to fruitless conflicts”. After expressing his appreciation for the quality and quantity of the work carried out by the Department’s staff and his thanks to the Higher Authorities, colleagues and guests in attendance, General Giancotti paid tribute to General Lanza de Cristoforis for the extraordinary overall ability he had demonstrated and for the intelligence of his work as Deputy Head of the Department, offering “warm wishes that he may go beyond what has been achieved so far”. General Lanza de Cristoforis thanked the leadership of the Armed Forces for the trust placed in him in appointing him Head of Department I, and his predecessors, in particular General Giancotti, for the invaluable mentoring he had provided. Addressing the men and women of the Department, he highlighted ‘the admirable attention they have shown towards all matters of concern to personnel, to the Air Force and to the operational front line, as well as their dedication to the needs of Commanders at a time of extreme resource constraints’. He then conveyed this appreciation to the High Command and the senior bodies represented, pledging “to work resolutely as a ”network“ in order to help harness all the capabilities present within the personnel, who are the true asset on which the Armed Forces can rely to achieve their assigned objectives‘. In addressing the COCER and the trade union representatives, he expressed his confidence that common objectives would be achieved even in the face of differing perspectives and contrasting viewpoints. He then addressed Air Force General Tiziano Tosi, Director of Military Personnel Deployment for the Air Force (DIPMA), emphasising the close ties between the First Department and the Directorate in resolving issues relating to personnel deployment. Finally, he offered a warm tribute to Colonel Migliaccio, ’a young friend and the linchpin of the team”, assuring the family members present of his commitment to continuing to cherish his memory and to stand by them, as part of the Division’s own family.
General Lodovisi, in remembering the figure of Colonel Migliaccio with heartfelt words of affection addressed to his widow and little Luca present at the ceremony, thanked General Giancotti for his professional work at the Headquarters of the I Corps, which carries out important activities on a daily basis, especially in light of the current transformation of the Armed Force. General Lodovisi also emphasised the quality of all projects developed by the Department as part of the aforementioned transformation. General Giancotti wished General Lanza de Cristoforis all the best for the continuation of his career and wished him ‘good luck’ in his new assignment. During the summer of 2010, General Giancotti will take up the post of Defence Attaché at the Italian Embassy in Berlin, Germany, with secondary accreditations for the Netherlands and Denmark. General Lanza de Cristoforis was born in Milan in 1960. He attended the Pozzuoli Air Force Academy in Pozzuoli (Naples) from 1979 to 1983 with the ‘Vulcano III’ course and was then sent to Canada for pilot training as a military pilot, winning the award of the Royal Canadian Air Force Association. He completed his training with the advanced course on the G91T aircraft at the Aviogetti School in Amendola (Foggia). He then qualified on the F-104 aircraft at the 4th Wing in Grosseto. In 1985 he was assigned to the 36th Wing at Gioia del Colle (Bari), where he was assigned to the 156th Flight Group. He was then ’converted‘ to the Tornado at the RAF Cottesmore Air Base (UK), acquiring his first ’Combat Ready‘ qualification on return home on the Tornado IDS (Interdiction Strike), an aircraft on which he obtained all his operational ratings in the following years. In September 1990, he was assigned to the Italian ’Locusta‘ Detachment at Aldhafra Air Base (United Arab Emirates), participating in operations as part of the ’Desert Storm‘ campaign. In 1992 he was assigned to the Italian Air Force Representation (RAMI) at RAF Cottesmore Base as a Pilot Instructor, Flight Examiner, Italian Training Officer and Flight Safety Officer. In 1995 he was assigned to the 6th Wing at Ghedi (Brescia) where he operated with the 102nd Group as Operations Section Chief and Group Commander while the Group reached full operational capability in the transition from the F-104 to the Tornado and was deployed to the theatre of operations in the Balkans. In 1998, he was assigned to the Air Force Academy as Course Commander and Course Director. Promoted to the rank of Colonel in 2000, he was appointed Course Commandant until 2001, where he assumed the position of Chief of Staff of the Officer Training Division. From 2003 to 2005, he commanded the 6th Wing. In 2005, he was assigned to the 1st Department of the Air Force General Staff, where he assumed the position of Chief of the 3rd Office ’Training and Deployment of Military Personnel‘. Promoted to Air Brigadier General in 2008, he took on the role of Deputy Head of Department. He attended numerous courses including the ATG in 1987 at the NATO School in Oberammergau (Germany), the Normal Course at the Air Warfare School in Florence (1987-1988), the Visual Reconnaissance Course (Guidonia-Amendola) in 1988, the Tornado Instructor Pilot Course at Cottesmore in 1991, the MEDID Course in 1992, the Flight Safety Officers Course at RAf and AIB (London) in 1993, the ISSMI Course (1997-1998), the Defence Resources Management Course in Monterey in 2003 and the Royal College Defence Studies in London in 2006. He graduated in Aeronautical Sciences from the University of Naples ’Federico II’. He has 3,200 flight hours to his credit, including over 100 in operations in hostile territory. Among the honours he has received are the Cavaliere al Merito of the Italian Republic, the Gold Cross for his military service, the Cross of Merit for his participation in the Gulf War, the Medal for the liberation of Kuwait, and the NATO Commemorative Medals for the former Yugoslavia and Bosnia. He is married and has two children.
