Air Squad General Luigi Del Bene succeeds Air Division General Andrea Argieri
On the 18th of September, in the “Sala degli Eroi” of Palazzo Aeronautica, in the presence of the Commander of the Italian Air Force Air Fleet, Air Squad General Alberto Biavati, the handover ceremony for the position of Chief of Staff of the Air Fleet Command between the Air Division General Andrea Argieri, outgoing, and the Air Squad General Luigi del Bene, subsequent.
In his farewell speech, the General Argieri he thanked the Air Fleet Commander for the support provided during this intense and complex period, recalling how “three years ago at this ceremony we were wearing masks, Italy had not yet emerged from COVID… three years ago, we were a long way from imagining that, shortly afterwards, the crisis in Ukraine would break out… three years ago, the Air Force was 98 years old, and we were preparing to arrange the incredible amount of activity that would later characterise the Centenary… three years ago, the Indo-Pacific was indeed a geopolitical expression but we did not yet know that shortly afterwards we would retrace the footsteps of Arturo Ferrarin and bring fighter aircraft back to Japanese soil, after more than a century…“.
Addressing the staff of the CSA General Staff, he expressed his thanks: “My most important thought goes to you, my personal staff: today I bid you farewell and thank you from the bottom of my heart, I tell you that I am proud of how we have served – together – and I believe very well, our beloved Air Force and the Nation, and we can say it with our heads held high. Together, as a true “team”, we have achieved very important objectives for the harmonious and effective functioning of the Armed Force. Finally, a greeting to our families, an inexhaustible and silent source of support, whom I ask you to convey my thanks to for what you have done”.
Taking the floor, the General of Good he expressed gratitude for the trust placed in him by the Higher Authorities in entrusting him with the prestigious and demanding role he is about to undertake, and he took the opportunity to thank General Argieri for the “profuse effort to ensure the utmost continuity of service of the Defence Staff, highlighting that the magnitude of the change will require the exceptional effort of all to successfully address the numerous challenges that lie ahead of us, but also to seize the incredible opportunities offered by the new configuration of the Command, which will be restructured on the Milan site”.
At the conclusion of the ceremony, the Air Force Commander, Air Force General Alberto Biavati he highlighted how the CSA Staff played a key role in the fulfilment of all the activities carried out in recent years by the Italian Air Force, confirming itself as the true beating heart of the Armed Force. He expressed his praise to General Argieri for his ceaseless and tireless commitment in coordinating the numerous and complex activities of the Air Squad Command in constant synergy with the Intermediate Commands and for the ability to always relate effectively with the other High Commands, the Air Force Staff and external bodies.
Highlighting his excellent professional profile, he wished General Del Bene the very best of luck, confident that he will tackle the numerous challenges the future holds for him in the best possible way, starting with the imminent and complex relocation of the Air Fleet Command to Milan.
It Air Squad Command of the Italian Air Force It is one of the three Top-Level Commands of the Armed Force. It deals with training, preparing, readying and exercising command and control of high-quality forces in order to maintain a high operational readiness and related logistic autonomy, necessary for the achievement of the objectives defined by the Armed Force. The main purpose is to guarantee the security of national airspace, by preparing and employing the personnel and means available, to project and employ them in an agile, adaptive and effective manner with the objective of deploying Aerospace Power in air operations, national and international, at a joint, interagency and multinational level.
