At the 6th Air Wing, handover of command to the “Frecce” of the 154th Flight Wing took place during the morning of Friday, July 6th, at Ghedi Military Airport (Brescia). The ceremony of handing over command of the 154th Flight Wing took place at the 154th Flight Wing hangar, presided over by Colonel Luca Maineri, Commander of the 6th Air Wing, and attended by military and civilian personnel of the Department, their families and a representation of former “Diavoli Rossi” who served under the emblem of the Flight Wing over the years. The outgoing Commander, in his farewell speech, recalled countless moments of high professionalism, a spirit of sacrifice and operational excellence, without concealing the great emotion of leaving after more than sixteen years the operational life of the Department. The incoming Commander, upon assuming his new assignment, pledged his unconditional availability to carry out the tasks assigned to him, committing himself to operate with confidence, humility, and determination in order to fulfill the task entrusted to him. The Commander of the Air Wing, speaking in his capacity, thanked all those present who wished to witness the friendship, attachment, passion, and affection shared with the Flight Group, and continued by paying tribute to all the personnel of the 154th Group for “the work carried out with professional rigor and absolute dedication.” Following this, he emphasized that the Group “continues to be, increasingly, an essential part of a much more complex system, highly effective, specialized, and strongly integrated, which brings together the 102nd and 155th Air Wings, along with a unique operational reality, multidisciplinary, well connected with all the entities of Stormo.” The formal handover was marked by the symbolic change of command in flight, an exercise planned as part of the Department’s training program. The aircraft exchanged positions as the leader of a five-Tornado formation.
The 154th Flight Wing, whose flag is decorated with the Silver Medal for Military Valor, the decoration that makes it the only group in service to be decorated with military valor, has the task of acquiring, maintaining, coordinating the training and preparation of capabilities in accordance with national and NATO/EU plans for precision engagement, support for surface forces, and aerial reconnaissance. Together with the 102nd and the 155th Flight Wings, the 154th forms the operational heart of the 6th Ghedi Wing.
