Friday 8 July, at the “Hall of Heroes” of Palazzo Aeronautica, took place the Ceremony of the handover in the position of Head of General Security Department (R.G.S.) between Air Brigadier General Roberto Preo and Colonel Antonio Genovese.
The ceremony was presided over by Vice Chief of Staff of the Air Force, Air Force General Aurelio Colagrande, and it took place – in line with Covid containment guidelines, in the presence of Armed Forces authorities, guests and family members, and a representation of personnel from the Department, other Ministries and allied Nations.
The event began with the speech The farewell speech of General Preo, who after more than three years of command, taking the floor, spoke with passion and pride about his experience at the General Security Department, Staff body with an operational component “which makes Personnel, Communications, Information and Infrastructure Security the fundamental elements for achieving objectives ”indicated by the Armed Force". General Preo then thanked the staff for the valuable work carried out and highlighted the results achieved during his command in terms of improving and streamlining work processes, digitalisation, and the development of innovative software applications.
Colonel Genovese, who in turn has previous experience as Security sector As Commander of the Coordination Centre for Security as well as Deputy Head of the General Security Department, expressed his gratitude in his inaugural address to the Superior Authorities for the trust placed in him and for being assigned the prestigious and sensitive task of leading the General Security Department. “I profoundly believe in the value of human resources and their inestimable potential.”, said Colonel Genovese, addressing the men and women of the Department, “and even more so I believe in the strength of the team that will allow all of us to carry out the tasks assigned and make an important contribution to ensuring, with the entire Air Force Staff and with the other competent Bodies, Security understood in the broadest sense of the term”.
A closing of the ceremony, the Deputy Chief of Staff of the Air Force dwelled on the importance of Security as “key feature in military structures”, noting how “The policy and management of communication flows, public exhibitions, and the prior possession of information are, particularly in this period of strong technological connotation, the basis for the good functioning and efficiency of the entire structure.”He therefore thanked General Preo for the work carried out and his professionalism, and extended his best wishes to Colonel Genovese for his new role, wishing him to “to continue on the path undertaken towards increased efficiency, digitalisation and, more generally, towards consolidating a culture of Safety, as an element supporting the F.A.'s full operational capability.”
The ceremony was preceded by exchange of greetings of the outgoing and incoming Officers with the Chief of the Air Staff, Air Force General Luca Goretti, in the presence of the War Flag of the Italian Air Force.
