This morning, 13 November, at the University of Naples, at the San Giovanni a Teduccio campus, in the presence of the Chief of Staff of the Italian Air Force, Air Force Corps General Antonio Conserva, the Opening Ceremony of the 2025-2026 Academic Year of the Italian Air Force Training Institutes.
The event, which was attended by numerous civil and military authorities, opened with an address by the Commander of Schools and the 3rd Air Region, Air Force General Francesco Vestito who illustrated some of the High Command's projects relating to selection, training and training with the use of new technologies for the students and attendants of the various schools and then outlined a balance of the 2024/2025 academic year in terms of numbers and figures. In particular, he emphasised how in the Academic Year 2024/2025, a total of 7413 trainees, including 195 foreign trainees, passed through the Training Institutes and schools of the Air Force. Specifically, 186 officers and marshals graduated with a Bachelor's degree, while 64 officers completed their studies with a Master's degree. 74 Officers, 21 of whom were foreigners, obtained their military pilot's licence at the Flying Schools in Italy and abroad, while 85 trainee Officers - 21 of whom were from other Armed Forces Armed Corps of the State - obtained their aeroplane pilot's licence; 2 Cadet Officers obtained an aeroplane navigator's licence; 26 cadets from other Armed Forces and Armed Corps of the State obtained a military helicopter pilot's licence, while 10 helicopter pilot's licences were issued to Fire Brigade and State Police personnel. Finally, 76 Captains obtained a 2nd-level Master's Degree in Leadership and Strategic Analysis, 186 Officers and Non-Commissioned Officers obtained a 1st-level Degree, and 28 Cadets graduated from the “Giulio Douhet” Air Force Military School.
So the General Store, after greeting all the participants: “We celebrate the start of a new academic year, a moment that shows the attention and care the Air Force reserves for new generations, who are the lifeblood of our century-old institution. There are those who believe that in the next ten years – the Chief of Staff went on to say – technological advancement will surpass that of the past hundred years. We must adopt this mindset: a changing world, and we must be ready to seize its challenges. The need to control and master this unstoppable technological development requires us to constantly anticipate innovation. The Air Force has innovation in its DNA: only those who can best combine technology and human preparation will be able to dominate future scenarios and preserve peace.”
The Opening of the Academic Year was also the occasion to present, as is tradition, a series of awards to students and attendees of the various Training Institutes who distinguished themselves in the last academic year. The award and recognition ceremony began with speeches from Air Force General (retired) Settimo Caputo, President of the Aeronautica Pioneers Association and Air Force Lieutenant General (ret.) Tiziano Tosi, president of the National Association of Families of Fallen and Wounded of the Air Force (ANFCMA). In particular, the annual Prize for Military Aptitude in Academies, established by the Military Order of Italy and awarded to the student who distinguished themselves in military aptitude at the end of the 2nd year of study; the Certificate of Merit of the Air Force Pioneers Association, established by the Association to recognise work of an aeronautical nature, produced by students of the Air Force Training Institutes; the Tosi Prize established by the National Association of the Families of the Fallen and Disabled of the Air Force and awarded to complementary pilots who have distinguished themselves for their military aptitude and flying activity; the Bronze Certificate of Merit of the Sacred Military Constantinian Order of Saint George awarded to a student of the 2nd class of the Regular Courses of the Academy who has particularly distinguished himself or herself, by inclination and behaviour, in charitable and assistance initiatives; the Daga d'Onore (Dagger of Honour) awarded to the Cadet Marshal who came first in the final ranking list of the Course and who attends the degree course envisaged for the non-sanitary categories; the Plaques of Honour to the cadets of the Arms and Sanitary ranks who, during the first three years of the regular course, came first in their respective ranks. To conclude, the MBDA Defence Leadership Academy Award was also assigned to the Aspirant who, at the end of the three years of attendance at the regular courses of the Air Force Academy, distinguished himself/herself for outstanding leadership characteristics; the Giulio Douhet Honour Plaque, awarded to the student of the “G. Douhet” who, at the end of the first two years of attendance, has achieved the highest overall merit score in scholastic achievement and military aptitude; and finally, the Douhet-Mitchell Award, jointly instituted between the Institute of Aeronautical Military Science and the Air War College, at the initiative of “the Organisation of Sons of Italy in America, awarded to one or more students whose work has made a significant contribution of thought and critical discussion for the progress of military and aerospace aviation in their country.
The Commander of the Air Force Academy, Air Division General Davide Cipelletti, introduced the keynote address of’State Advocate Gaetana Natale who held a masterclass entitled “Artificial Intelligence – new challenges for the Air Force”.
The’Air Force Academy It depends on the Command of the Air Force Schools/3rd Air Region. It is a military institute of higher education of a university nature whose task is to recruit and train young people who aspire to become Officers of the Air Force. By attending the Regular Courses of the Academy, one can become Second Lieutenants in Permanent Active Service in the Air Force Arm, in the normal Navigator role (pilots) and in the Normal Role of Weapons, of the Air Force Engineering Corps, of the Air Force Commissary Corps and of the Air Force Medical Corps. The Institute also conducts Courses for Officer Cadets (Reserve Pilots and Fixed Term) and Second Lieutenants directly appointed (of both the Normal and Special Roles); finally, the Academy's Study Plan includes Courses with an aeronautical specialisation, for foreign personnel and other Armed Forces.
