The Non-Commissioned Officer (NCO) excelled among over 200 military personnel from various participating Nations. The NCO, who distinguished himself among more than 200 military personnel from different nations serving in the various contingents that took part in the competition, is part of the Italian Airbase Support Air Advisory Team (IT ASAAT), the branch of the Italian Air Force that trains and supports Afghan personnel in order to enable them, in the near future, to independently manage the administrative, technical, logistical and local protection functions of an airport.
General Gamba, Commander of Regional Command West in Herat, expressed his satisfaction with the excellent result achieved by Marshal Baraldi.
The Italian Airbase Support Air Advisory Team (IT ASAAT) is part of the broader NATO Training Mission – Afghanistan (NTM-A) and is placed within the 838th Air Expeditionary Advisory Group of the United States Air Force (USAF).
To allow Shindand Airfield to become one of the most important airbases, as well as the sole flight school, of the newly formed Afghan Air Force, the MI-17 Air Advisory Team (MI-17 AAT) mission, which began in July 2011 and was led by Italian and Hungarian Air Force personnel, has to date qualified over 90 Afghan servicemen on the MI-17 helicopter, including military pilots, flight engineers, flight crew chiefs, and the first Afghan instructor on the Mi-17 aircraft, fully trained in Shindand.
