Today, Saturday 18 April 2026, at the Piazzale Bandiera of the Military Aeronautics Sciences Institute, the swearing-in ceremony for the 33 Cadets of the 1st Course of the Military Aeronautics School “G. Douhet”.
For the young male and female students of the Military Aeronautics high school, the oath represented the act by which they promised to be faithful to the Republic and the institutions of the State.
The celebrations took place in the presence of the Undersecretary of State for Defence, Senator Isabella Rauti, accompanied by the Chief of Defence Staff – General Luciano Portolano – and the Chief of Staff of the Italian Air Force – Air Squad General Antonio Conserva. Local civil, religious and military authorities were present at the ceremony.
This year the ceremony has taken on a special symbolic value for the history of the School. In fact, ever since its inauguration, each course has been identified by names which – following alphabetical order – refer to mythological figures or celestial bodies. Over the years, starting from 2006, the students of the Astro, Bora, Crono, Dardo, Espero, Fides, Ghibli, Iris, Lyra, Mito, Nadir, Omega, Perseo, Rigel, Sirio, Taurus, Ursa, Vega, Zenit courses have followed one another on the benches of the School.
With today's swearing-in of the Astro II, therefore, a historic cycle has been brought to a close and a new sequence in the Institute's tradition has begun.
The interventions of the Authorities
At the opening of the Ceremony, Lieutenant Colonel Gianfranco Paglia, on behalf of the Gold Medals for Military Valour, thanked the cadets “for what you will do for our beloved Fatherland and above all for how you will do it”.
The Undersecretary of State for Defence, Senator Isabella Rauti, in her speech – recalling the significance of the “military baptism” – highlighted how it represents “a personal act done in conscience but also a shared commitment with the School and with Italy. With the Oath, you no longer represent only yourselves: you represent Defence, the Institutions, the Nation and the Tricolour. The Oath it is a taking on of responsibility and means choosing to serve the Homeland. The undersecretary then went on to emphasise how “In the twenty years since its establishment, the Douhet has built an organic and competitive training model that intertwines skills and values. The motto of the School, ‘Per scientiam ad astra’ – through knowledge to the stars – effectively and immediately summarises the identity of the Douhet and the Italian Air Force. Knowledge as the path, the sky as the horizon, the stars as the destination.
Rauti finally addressed a direct message to the students of the “Astro II” Course: “Be proud of the uniform you wear. Be proud of belonging to the School and the Air Force. This honour requires consistency between thought and action; between what you say and what you do.
The Chief of Defence Staff, General Luciano Portolano, recalled that “Giulio Douhet was a visionary, a man capable of looking beyond the limits of his own time. He sensed that the future would also be played out in the skies. He understood that without vision, without study, without courage, it would not be possible to direct change. A lesson that has lost none of its relevance. Today, in fact” – continued the Chief of the Defence Staff – “it is clear to everyone how decisive air dominance is in the management of conflicts and crises, in those scenarios where traditional threats are joined by new ones: drones, hypersonic missiles, artificial intelligence, electronic warfare.
An unprecedented technological revolution, which requires constant adaptation from our organisations and every day rewrites the boundaries of the possible — changing not only the tools we use, but the very way in which we interpret reality and act upon it. Therefore, we must look to the future, which — remember General Portolano -it is built, it is shaped, it is conquered.
It does not belong to those who observe it from afar, but to those who have the vision to imagine it, the strength to prepare for it and the courage to achieve it.”
The Chief of Staff of the Italian Air Force, Air Squad General Antonio Conserva, underlined the significance of the event: “The entry into the second generation with the Astro II Course marks a historic moment for the Armed Force and for the Giulio Douhet Military School. Exactly twenty years after the first Astro course, this tradition is further consolidated, welcoming new energy within a centuries-old history”. The General then continued by addressing the cadets directly, extending his thoughts to their loved ones: “I extend the affectionate welcome of the entire Armed Force, conscious that your arrival here is also the result of the silent support and sacrifices of your families, to whom goes my deepest gratitude for having nurtured in you the values that today lead you to serve the country. On this day, you have made a solemn commitment by swearing allegiance to the Republic; a path that will demand dedication, but which will grant you a unique awareness. At the Douhet you will learn to nourish both vision and discipline: the former to keep your mind open to the future, the latter to have the practicality necessary to bring about change. Continue to dream and listen to your hearts, shunning shortcuts and seeking that fulfilment that arises only from hard work and the desire to surpass yourselves. Remember: vision without discipline remains an illusion, but discipline without vision is sterile toil. Carry forward your motto with pride, ‘Multi Radii Una Lux’, because it is precisely by uniting your talents that you will fly higher.
In his speech, the Commander of the Douhet School, Colonel Mauro Nazzi, praised the young pupils' decision to spend their youth in an Institute whose aim is to harmoniously blend ethics, discipline, education and training. This choice, Colonel Nazzi continued, will enable them to acquire behavioural models, cultural knowledge and skills that are essential to be the architects of their own personal history.
The solemn act of swearing allegiance to the Republic, pronounced before the Institute's Flag, was made even more emotional by the flypast of the National Aerobatic Team.
The central moment of the event was the Baptism of the Course, which took the name Astro II, inheriting the pennant and the motto -“many rays, one light” – conceived twenty years ago by the students of the Astro course. Godfather of the graduating course, Air Brigadier General Paolo Rubino, Chief of Staff of the Schools Command of the Italian Air Force / 3rd Air Region.
The Douhet School – which currently accommodates 88 students – is a upper secondary education institute that runs courses for the final three years in classical and scientific disciplines, entry to which is by public competition (around 800 applications per year). The humanistic and scientific education, provided by the Educational Offer Plan in accordance with the ministerial curricula for the final three years of Classical and Scientific High Schools, is supported by a wide range of cultural, sports and educational activities.
Teaching planning is developed on a full-time basis through collegial organisational methods and also involves strong interaction between the school environment and the social community, with particular reference to the artistic and cultural context of the city of Florence.
The aim of the Institute is to promote a balanced growth in its pupils, from a human, cultural, moral, physical and character perspective, so that they have the necessary skills to face the challenges of tomorrow.
The Institute's staff consists of military personnel and 16 civilian teachers, under the command of a Colonel acting in the dual role of Commander and Head Teacher. The Unit is subordinate to the Air Force Institute of Military Sciences, on whose grounds it is hosted.
The educational and training activities provided for students ensure a path of growth oriented towards active citizenship, personal and social responsibility, through the acquisition of knowledge and the development of skills via group work and interdisciplinarity. Within the scope of its autonomy, the School emphasises internationality through the acquisition of language skills, the study in depth of classical languages and cultures, alongside the acquisition of the scientific mathematical method.
