Moments of encounter and internal sharing both with the outside world to review the activities, capabilities, and projects developed by the Armed Forces and the Armed Forces in the aerospace sector
As part of the activities promoted by the Interministerial Committee for Space and Aerospace Research Policies (COMINT), in 2021 the “National Space Day”, which takes place on December 16th. This year, as part of the second edition, the’General Office for Space of the Air Force Staff He organized an informational event about the activities of Forza Armata in the aerospace sector. The event, almost 60 years after the launch of the San Marco 1 satellite in 1964, was organized by the Italian team led by General of the Air Force Luigi Broglio That allowed Italy to become the third country in the world to surpass the Earth’s atmosphere, provided an overview of the activities, underway and in development, that the Air Force promotes in the aerospace sector as a natural extension of its institutional duties, in harmony with the level of ambition and strategies of the country.
“Through events like today's – declared the Vice Chief of Staff of the Air Force, General Aurelio Colagrande, Air Force Chief of Staff, who also delivered the greetings of the Chief of Staff of the Air Force, Air Force General Luca Goretti, in his opening address to the proceedings – The Air Force confirms its role as a leader in space activities, as also highlighted by the political authority in a recent intervention. Starting as early as 1964, the Air Force has always had the strength and capabilities to develop considerable expertise in the aerospace sector, which we can now express in numerous activities, such as SSA – Space Situational Awareness, an excellence that is recognized both at European and global level. Leadership in a context that we feel is the continuation of our dominance in which we operate every day. Space and Aerospace as a continuum where we want to continue to express our expertise. Italy must equip itself with the necessary tools to operate in space freely, but also to defend its interests in space, which is increasingly crowded […] and who can do this if not the Air Force?”.
Space is therefore an essential resource for the country that must be cultivated; it is a fundamental economic, employment, technological and social wealth that must be valued, protected, safeguarded and defended.
The event was moderated by Brigadier General of the Air Force Roberto Vittori, astronaut and Head of the General Office for Space of the Air Force, who wished to emphasize the importance of this initiative, “Strongly desired at the institutional level as well as a moment of debate and sharing in a strategic area for Defense and the national system. This space was created in Defense as support services for operations and an example of this is the launch of SICRAL and today we are focusing on the evolution and specialization of the military component. The concept of Space is expanding more and more... the aircraft that becomes a space-plane and the airport that becomes a space-port, aerospace medicine are all competencies that are part of the DNA of the Air Force and especially defense against vertical threats because with such crowded space the prerogative of the Navy in the SSA becomes increasingly indispensable...”
Numerous topics were discussed during the meeting, which saw the participation of qualified representatives from various Departments and Agencies of the Armed Forces, who are engaged – with a wide and diversified range of skills – in the aerospace sector. After an introduction by Col. Alfredo Pietrolucci, Deputy Chief of the General Office for Space (UGS) of the SMA, who also outlined the AM’s Vision and programmatic lines for the Aerospace sector, the following points were discussed in particular:
• The Space Situational Awareness (SSA) & Re-entry events, curated by Col. Dario Tarantino, Commander of the Space Situational Awareness Center (COA-CSSA);
Ten. Col. Angelo Romito of the General Office for Military Aviation and Meteorology SMA;
Ten.Col. Paolo Fiorella of the Aerospace Engineering Group of the Experimental Flight Department – Aerial Division of the Aeronautics and Space Experimental Division (DASAS).
• The future of the SSA, by Ten. Col. Domenico Antonacci, of the General Office for Space SMA;
• Space Traffic Management in the European framework, by Gen B. Luca Baione, Head of the General Office for Military Aviation and Meteorology of the SMA;
• Space Safety, curated by Lt Col Gianluca Greco of the Flight Safety Inspectorate;
• Collaboration with the United States Space Force (USSF), by Ten.Col. Marco Reali of the SMA Space General Office.
The event concluded with the presentation of the book by Giovanni Caprara, author of “The last satellite at the equator”, volume of the series AM Centenario 1923-2023, which describes the most difficult enterprises of Luigi Broglio, considered unanimously the “father” of Italian space.
The General Office for Space, established in 2017, is the arm of the Air Force General Staff that is responsible for developing the policy and directives for the development of the Armed Forces’ space and aerospace capabilities. The Air Force, in fact, aspires to become the primary facilitator for access to space through the development of skills in the aerospace sector, also through the training and development of excellent preceptors for its personnel and collaboration with both military and civilian institutions, academia, and the research community.
On the same day, the’General Staff Office of the State Defense Headquarters he participated in two events organized by Leonardo Foundation – Civilization of Machines with the support of the universities of Sapienza in Rome and Bocconi in Milan and the Institute of International Affairs with the Polytechnic University of Turin and in collaboration with the’Italian Space Agency.
“An Italian law for space”is the title of the initiative promoted by the President of the Leonardo Foundation, Luciano Violante, The meeting was held in the morning of December 16 in the Chamber of the Montecitorio Parliamentary Group Building. Many civil and military authorities were present on the occasion, including the President of the Chamber of Deputies, Mr. Lorenzo Fontana, the Minister of Defense, Guido Crosetto, The Minister of Enterprises and Made in Italy, Senator Adolfo Urso, Senator Stefania Craxi, President of the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, the Chief of Staff of the Defense, Admiral Giuseppe Cavo Dragone, and Chief of Staff of the Air Force, Air Force General Luca Goretti.
In his speech, the Chief of General Staff Space of the General Staff of the Defense, Gen. B.A. Davide Cipelletti emphasized that “Space is a complex environment that is increasingly subject to strategic competition: clear rules and a shared regulatory framework are needed. In this sense, space law, to which the Defence can contribute with its expertise, must also help to create an adequate security framework through a coherent and updated legal architecture.“In his conclusions, General Cipelletti explained that “The task of those like us who find themselves living through this period of transformation is to lead the transition, finding the way to co-exist between “Space” and “New Space”, taking advantage of the opportunities offered by emerging technologies and guiding a regulatory process that is adapted to the times and the capabilities of new space activities.“.
In the afternoon, the Head of the Space General Office also participated remotely in the event “Moon and Italy. Turin and the future of space exploration”Organized by the Institute of International Affairs, illustrating to the audience the current and future activities of the Defense Department in the space field and deepening the subject with the Air Force Astronaut, Luca Parmitano, the prospects of space exploration.
The General Office of Space, established in 2019, centralizes the functions related to the evolution of doctrine, the launch of new programs, the development of national and international partnerships, and the evolution of the capabilities of the space capabilities.
