The handover between outgoing Colonel Ciniglio Appiani and incoming Colonel Grassi took place in the presence of General Li Causi. In his farewell speech, Colonel Ciniglio Appiani warmly thanked the men and women of the Department who, during his three and a half years in command, operated with the highest sense of duty, commitment, professionalism and generosity, allowing the Department to achieve a widely recognised level of excellence.
Colonel Grassi, during his speech, thanked the Superior Authorities for the trust placed in him and, on taking up his new post, invited all personnel to continue, with unchanged energy, in carrying out the mission assigned to the Department.
General Li Causi finally concluded the series of addresses by expressing words of deep appreciation for the results achieved by Colonel Ciniglio Appiani and offering his best wishes to Colonel Grassi for the attainment of ever more prestigious milestones. Colonel Ettore Ciniglio Appiani is leaving the Command of the Supply Technical Centre to assume the prestigious role of Head of the 1st Department ad interim of the Logistics Command's Support Service. Colonel Francesco Grassi was born in Rome on 14 July 1957.
After attending the 52nd Officers' Course at the Air War College of Florence, he was assigned to SARAM Taranto as Platoon Commander.
In July 1980, he was transferred to the 5th Central Depot in Novara where he held various positions; in 1984, he was transferred to the 53rd Wing in Cameri – 1st RMV Tornado, first as Director of the Tornado MSA Warehouse and, subsequently, as interim head of the Tornado Main Depot. In 1986, he was transferred to the 6th Department of the Air Force General Staff, as a systems analyst within the SILI-RIF programme for supplies and accounting, a role he held until 1991.
During the first Persian Gulf War, he was in charge of the Supply section of the AM Department at Al-Dhafra (UAE) and subsequently, until 1994, he was assigned abroad as Liaison Officer at the Tornado Transhipment Depot – 16th Maintenance Unit, at the Royal Air Force base in Stafford, Great Britain.
Upon returning to Italy, he was assigned to the 4th Department of SMA as Head of the Ranges and Unmanned Systems Section, a post he held until 2003. During this period, he was national coordinator and project manager for the acquisition of UAV and Aerial Target systems, National Representative at the NATO - NAFAG Air Group VII, and contributed to the development of doctrine for the employment of unmanned systems. In September 2003, he was again assigned abroad, with the post of Head of the RAMI in Stafford. Promoted to Colonel on 1 January 2006, he was assigned to the Support Services of the Logistic Command as Head of the Fuels Office, a post he held until April 2011.
Between April and October 2011, he commanded the consultants/advisors department of the Air Force, at the NATO Training Mission in Afghanistan, stationed at Shindand Airfield.
Colonel Grassi is married and has a son.
