In 1962, the Italian Air Force began training pilot cadets using a jet aircraft from the outset. This year also marks the anniversaries of the founding of the Flying Groups.
An update on the Armed Forces, in terms of capabilities, organisational structure and future challenges: this is the Focus of the update meeting with retired Generals of the Italian Air Force – in its second edition following the first in 2019 – which took place on Tuesday 24 May at the “Hangar 44” multipurpose facility within the Urbe Airport aeronautical compound.
The initiative, strongly promoted by the Chief of Staff of the Italian Air Force, Lieutenant General Luca Goretti, was joined by a large audience of General Officers who in past years represented the backbone of the Armed Force.
“In line with what my predecessors have done, this event aims to strengthen our sense of belonging to the institution and our willingness to pull together, providing a clear and unequivocal message from the leadership on who we are and what we want to be.“, declared the Chief of Defence in his opening speech. “Identity, competence and specificity in the aerospace domain: these are the pillars of the Italian Air Force's strategy in an extremely complex and changing context such as the one we are experiencing and which in the future, particularly from an aerospace perspective, will be increasingly characterised by a combination of two essential factors: high technological progress and the very high speed of change. We have demonstrated that we have the tools, means and capabilities to be relevant in various contexts: examples include the contributions provided in recent months for the pandemic emergency, for the airlift from Afghanistan and recently with Air Policing activities in the context of the dramatic Russian-Ukrainian crisis. A decision-making, logistical and operational capability – concluded General Goretti – which allows us at this time to be present, simultaneously, in three different operational theatres: Iceland, Iraq and Romania”.
Next, Air Division General Andrea Argieri, Chief of Staff of the Air Fleet Command, Air Squad General Roberto Comelli, Commander of the Italian Air Force Logistics Command, and Air Squad General Silvano Frigerio, Commander of the Italian Air Force Schools Command and 3rd Air Region, spoke in that order to provide a more detailed situation report on the three High Commands of the Armed Forces, illustrating the main activities carried out recently and the ongoing reorganisation processes, with an eye on future challenges in various fields. The common thread running through the three speeches was a strong drive towards technological innovation, with an increasingly pronounced capability evolution in key sectors such as the space and cyber domains, a focus on integration processes between systems of different generations with an increasingly joint and combined perspective, and constant attention to improving personnel selection, education and training processes as enabling factors for building new operational capabilities. Innovation is also increasingly concerning eco-sustainable technologies, thanks to which the Armed Force is developing a growing ethos Green (for example, through the “Aeroporti Azzurri” programme, or by using biofuels).
The meeting concluded with a speech by Major General (ret.) Basilio Di Martino, Chairman of the working group for the AM Centenary celebrations, who outlined the numerous initiatives that the Armed Force has planned for 2023 on the occasion of the special anniversary.
At the end of the event, General Goretti thanked all participants and reiterated the importance of the constant and thorough sharing of information and objectives, emphasising that only by acting together as a team is it possible to remain persistent and relevant in the complex operational scenarios in which the Armed Force is called upon to operate today.
