The personnel of the Air Force involved in the operation “Safe Roads” in Lampedusa met with the Holy Father. The initiative was coordinated by the Military Ordinariate for Italy and the Prefecture of the Pontifical House so that the military personnel who worked within the “Safe Roads” operation in Lampedusa would have the opportunity to meet Pope Francis in person. During his last visit to the Sicilian island, the Supreme Pontiff had expressed his intention to thank, in a dedicated moment, the men and women of the E.I. and the Air Force who had provided their support for the tragic operations to recover the bodies of the immigrants involved in the shipwreck of last October 3. On this occasion, the military representation that intervened – accompanied by Captain Leandro Giordano, Commander of the “Strade Sicure/Lampedusa” Company (E.I.) and Lieutenant Raffaele Capece, Commander of the 134th Remote Radar Squadron and the Aeronautical Detachment (A.M.) – had the opportunity to deliver a commemorative item to the Holy Father as a testament to the involvement gained for the humanitarian rescue carried out. The “Strade Sicure” operation, which began on August 4, 2008 and is still ongoing, provides an important complement to public order and territory control activities for some Italian provinces that are more at risk. The Inter-Force Operational Command (C.O.I.) plans and coordinates the inter-force operation with the Operational Commands of each involved armed force, which, in turn, dialogues with the employees of the relevant Departments in order to provide suitable personnel trained to perform delicate tasks in assisting the Police Forces.
Since 2011, a multinational contingent has been deployed on the island of Lampedusa, which now employs 90 units (62 from the E.I. and 28 from the A.M.) to ensure the surveillance of the Emergency First Aid and Reception Center (C.P.S.A.) and of the migrants’ boats within the framework of land control. The 134th Remote Radar Squadron, part of the National Air Defense System, has the task of maintaining the assigned system in an efficient and continuous manner and ensuring the surveillance of the airspace under its jurisdiction. The Air Detachment provides logistical and administrative support to the 134th Remote Radar Squadron and to the other military agencies deployed on the island; in this context, it provides assistance to military aircraft transiting at the civil airport of Lampedusa. In addition, it is providing the necessary logistical support to all the components involved in the management of the ongoing humanitarian emergency on the island.
