On Friday 28th February, at the “Auditorium” of Palazzo Aeronautica, the handover ceremony at the top of the 3rd Division of the Logistics Command, between the Major General Sandro Sanasi, outgoing Commander, and the Air Division General Giovanni Balestri, Incoming Commander.
At the ceremony, presided over by Comandante Logistico, Air Chief Marshal Antonio Conserva, attended by Deputy Chief of the General Staff of the Air Squadron Aurelio Colagrande, numerous Military Authorities and the personnel of the 3rd Division.
It General Sanasi, who is stepping down as head of the Division after almost a year, during his farewell speech wanted to emphasise how it was “an intense, demanding yet rewarding period, during which, in short, we have tackled a major change, driven by the digital transformation of the Armed Force, and the strong impact that the cyber threat and technological innovation have had upon it. This indispensable and decisive change has enabled the operational capabilities of the Italian Air Force to be increased and has placed it in an advantageous position to face future challenges”Addressing the staff, he then added that:“the smooth operation of the sector for which the 3rd Division is responsible has been largely the result of the ability, professionalism, helpfulness and, frequently, the resourcefulness and flexibility with which the men and women of the 3a Division operated in Italy and abroad. He finally concluded by thanking the authorities present and offering his best wishes to the incoming Commander.
It General Balestri, incoming, has proudly taken up the baton passed to him, thanking the Armed Forces leadership for the trust placed in him: “I am fully aware of the complexity of the role and the responsibility that comes with it. A responsibility that I feel deeply and that will spur me on in the fulfilment of the role I am about to take on and which I will perform with the utmost energy and dedication. I am convinced that the extremely high professionalism of the Division's staff will best support me in tackling ongoing challenges and those that will arise along our path together.”.
At the conclusion of the ceremony, the Logistics Commander, Air Chief Marshal Antonio Conserva, whilst underlining the numerous and important milestones achieved by the 3rd Division, he expressed great satisfaction with what had been accomplished during General Sanasi's period of command, “aware of the quality and quantity of the strategic services that the Division provides to the Armed Forces, which are critical and frequently the target of cyber threats. All of this has been made possible thanks to the expertise of our personnel and the continuous growth of our capabilities in the sector”.
The 3rd Division of the Logistics Command it ensures operational, technical and logistics support services in the fields of operation and maintenance of Air Defence, flight assistance, telecommunications and meteorology systems. It also oversees the operation and maintenance activities of automated systems, supervising the training of technical personnel. In recent years, the management of the sector of Cyber Defence to the aerospace domain.
