Air Division General Achille CAZZANIGA hands over command to Air Division General Enrico Maria DEGNI
Wednesday 20th July, within the setting of the historic Centocelle Airport in Rome, took place the handover ceremony between Air Division General Achille CAZZANIGA, outgoing Commander, and Air Division General Enrico Maria DEGNI, incoming Commander.
At the ceremony, presided over by the Air Squad Commander, Air Squad General Alberto BIAVATI, Civil and military authorities, as well as the Commanders of the operational units reporting to the Mobility and Support Forces Command (CFMS), participated.
General CAZZANIGA, in his farewell speech, expressed his heartfelt appreciation to the personnel who supported him during his more than two years in command: “[…] I am leaving the Command for Mobility and Support Forces, an organisation unique of its kind, with an extraordinary DNA that is the result of a century of evolution. […] At the CFMS I have met exemplary professionals, driven by a strong will to complete their assigned mission, and to achieve, with method and patience, new capabilities and training objectives to be ready to face even the most urgent and unpredictable situations. Awareness of their role, the emphasis on doing rather than appearing, and the calm of daily work have marked these past years, despite the complexity of the moment and the urgency that has characterised our operations. […]. The General then continued: “…The results achieved are a testament to our true essence. Serving in all circumstances, working together in synergy, dialoguing and coordinating our efforts between the various Departments, with the Air Operations Command and the Air Squadron Command. The awarding in recent years of three gold and four silver medals for Military Valour to our Departments (including that to the CFMS), and of 44 bronze and 33 silver medals for Aeronautical Valour to military personnel serving in our bodies, are demonstrative of the service rendered to our country. […]”.
Air Division General Enrico Maria DEGNI, in his speech, expressed his gratitude to the Armed Force for the assignment of the new command role and stressed how: “...After 11 years, I am returning with pleasure to the Armed Force's operational area, the Air Squadra Command, an area that, from the outside, I have seen progressively transform in terms of equipment, technology, competence and professionalism, and which is capable of delivering truly significant capabilities in the international arena. It is, therefore, with pride that I prepare to assume Command of the Mobility and Support Forces, which has the task of ensuring personnel training and the operational readiness of assets intended for operational capabilities in projection, protection, surveillance, and command and control, fundamental expressions of aerospace power. […]“.
The ceremony concluded with an address by General BIAVATI, who stressed that: ...the service rendered by Gen. Cazzaniga, in a historical period “exceptional, achieved results “exceptional” thanks to the availability of staff “Exceptional” of the CFMS and its subordinate Departments, which has always responded swiftly, professionally, and commendably to health and humanitarian emergencies in Italy, in every corner of the world, and in every operational theatre. The State and the Nation know they can count on you 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, and especially when “things are getting serious” ”..."
The Mobility and Support Forces Command (CFMS) is subordinate to the Air Squad Command. It constitutes the centre of excellence for the Armed Force within the Combat Support, the complex of operational capabilities which includes, among others, the’Airlift Transportation, the’Air-to-Air Refuelling, the Combat Search and Rescue (SAR), the Force Protection and the Special Operations.
