Press Release No. 6/2019 Italian Air Force: blockchain and the paradigm shift challenge The workshop was held at the “Casa dell'Aviatore” “Logistics, Aeronautics and beyond” which saw the institutional, academic, industrial and business worlds speak about ‘blockchain’ from the perspective of a Defence sector organisation
Today, Wednesday 23 January, the workshop “Logistics, Aeronautics and Beyond” took place at the Casa dell’Aviatore, an event organised by the Italian Air Force Logistics Command in collaboration with Ernst & Young.; Following on from previous initiatives such as “Logistics 4.0' and subsequently the ”Airathon”, the Italian Air Force has taken the lead and, once again, tackled the challenge posed by new complexities and systemic changes. The event was attended not only by military and political authorities – including the Honourable Gianluca Rizzo, Chair of the Chamber of Deputies“ Fourth Defence Committee, and the Chief of the Air Force Staff, Air Chief Marshal Alberto Rosso – but also by numerous representatives from the institutional, academic, industrial and business sectors. ”Understanding and adapting to the potential offered by new technologies are essential for the Armed Forces,“ said General Rosso, who also emphasised that ”such technologies must have cross-cutting applications and dual-use capabilities, as the scarcity of resources increasingly highlights the need to work as a team; sharing solutions is, first and foremost, a moral duty“. The Chief of the Air Force General Staff then concluded: ”We must have the humility to listen to young minds, who are more open to change and who understand innovation better than we do, always thinking in terms of evolution rather than revolution, whilst taking care to temper excessive enthusiasm with common sense and logic“. The workshop, moderated by Dr Mauro Bellini, an expert in digital innovation, took place over two sessions during which various speakers addressed the topic, providing a multi-faceted perspective on the world of blockchain and enabling participants to appreciate its various aspects and applications in the fields of infrastructure and skills. The aim is to introduce the aviation sector – and the logistics sector in particular – to this new field of application, capitalise on its potential, and invest in areas such as predictive and remote-assisted maintenance, technical training, transport and materials management. Addressing the topic of ”blockchain“ from the perspective of public administration in general, and logistics in particular, is essential to ensure that these momentous changes do not represent a disruption, but are instead harnessed as opportunities. Air Force General Giovanni Fantuzzi, Commander of the Logistics Command, highlighted in his closing remarks the areas in which the Italian Air Force has integrated its systems with blockchain: ‘In the field of logistics, we have linked ’Silef” – our integrated IT logistics system – with blockchain, thereby certifying maintenance activities that took place at a location other than where the maintenance technician was based.“ Finally, he issued a challenge: ”We believe we are ready to engage with our partners – always with a view to enhancing our expertise. I am referring to our NATO partners, particularly those involved in the major programmes in which Italy participates, such as Eurofighter and JSF.”.
Today, Wednesday 23 January, the workshop “Logistics, Aeronautics and Beyond” took place at the Casa dell’Aviatore, an event organised by the Italian Air Force Logistics Command in collaboration with Ernst & Young.; Following on from previous initiatives such as “Logistics 4.0' and subsequently the ”Airathon”, the Italian Air Force has taken the lead and, once again, tackled the challenge posed by new complexities and systemic changes. The event was attended not only by military and political authorities – including the Honourable Gianluca Rizzo, Chair of the Chamber of Deputies“ Fourth Defence Committee, and the Chief of the Air Force Staff, Air Chief Marshal Alberto Rosso – but also by numerous representatives from the institutional, academic, industrial and business sectors. ”Understanding and adapting to the potential offered by new technologies are essential for the Armed Forces,“ said General Rosso, who also emphasised that ”such technologies must have cross-cutting applications and dual-use capabilities, as the scarcity of resources increasingly highlights the need to work as a team; sharing solutions is, first and foremost, a moral duty“. The Chief of the Air Force General Staff then concluded: ”We must have the humility to listen to young minds, who are more open to change and who understand innovation better than we do, always thinking in terms of evolution rather than revolution, whilst taking care to temper excessive enthusiasm with common sense and logic“. The workshop, moderated by Dr Mauro Bellini, an expert in digital innovation, took place over two sessions during which various speakers addressed the topic, providing a multi-faceted perspective on the world of blockchain and enabling participants to appreciate its various aspects and applications in the fields of infrastructure and skills. The aim is to introduce the aviation sector – and the logistics sector in particular – to this new field of application, capitalise on its potential, and invest in areas such as predictive and remote-assisted maintenance, technical training, transport and materials management. Addressing the topic of ”blockchain“ from the perspective of public administration in general, and logistics in particular, is essential to ensure that these momentous changes do not represent a disruption, but are instead harnessed as opportunities. Air Force General Giovanni Fantuzzi, Commander of the Logistics Command, highlighted in his closing remarks the areas in which the Italian Air Force has integrated its systems with blockchain: ‘In the field of logistics, we have linked ’Silef” – our integrated IT logistics system – with blockchain, thereby certifying maintenance activities that took place at a location other than where the maintenance technician was based.“ Finally, he issued a challenge: ”We believe we are ready to engage with our partners – always with a view to enhancing our expertise. I am referring to our NATO partners, particularly those involved in the major programmes in which Italy participates, such as Eurofighter and JSF.”.