Villafranca's 3rd Operational Support Wing hosted a series of lectures developed in collaboration with the International University of Social Sciences of Mantua. The course addresses the increasingly widespread need to create new and more specialised professional profiles capable of operating within Peace Support Operations, allowing attendees to acquire the ability to contribute to the planning and conduct of military activities both nationally and internationally.
The lessons were also aimed at fostering the sharing of a knowledge base and a common language between military and civilian personnel, which is indispensable as their coordinated deployment in operational theatres becomes more frequent, in order to overcome any coordination and communication difficulties.
In the first phase, conducted “remotely” from 6 February to 10 March, the trainees undertook the study of basic subjects, including International Law, taught by Professor Giorgio Bosco, former Ambassador of Italy and Professor at the Higher School of Public Administration; “Peace Support Operations,” through the synopsis by Air Force General Roberto Corsini, Deputy Chief of Staff of the Air Force; and “Stress Management in Out-of-Area Operations,” by Brigadier General Domenico Abbenante, Director of the “Aldo di Loreto” Medico-Legal Institute of Rome. During the “in-person” days, various national and international experts developed the course curriculum. Professor Vittorfranco Pisano, Head of the Department of Information Sciences for Security at the University of Mantua, addressed “The Contemporary Terrorist Threat”; Dr. Stefania Ducci, Vice President of the “Mediterranean Council for Intelligence Studies,” dealt with “Peacekeeping Intelligence”; while Professor Francesco Saverio Romolo, Professor of Analytical Chemistry concerning Security at the School of Criminal Sciences of the University of Lausanne in Switzerland, illustrated “The Use of Explosives and Chemical Substances in Hostile Acts.”.
“The Role of Mass Media in Crisis Areas” was the theme of the presentation by journalist Pino Scaccia, a well-known correspondent for Rai, and “The Instrument of Diplomacy for the Management of International Crises” was instead presented by Minister Plenipotentiary Giovanni Brauzzi from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Dr. Alfredo Mantici, a Consigliere of the National Register of Intelligence Analysts and former Director of the Analysis Division of the Service for Information and Democratic Security (SISDE), and Dr. Maurizio Carboni, former Manager of SISDE, spoke on “International Terrorism” and “Subversion in Italy” respectively.
Air Brigade General.
General Camporini, on the sidelines of his speech, expressed words of “sincere appreciation for [...] a programme of excellence on topics of such great relevance“, hoping that in“future initiatives, such as the one carried out at the 3rd Wing, could be repeated in a joint force context and within those State Administrations involved in international activities.“.
