Colonel Albano hands over command of the Wing to Colonel Anelli
Thursday 10 October, at the U. Gordesco military airport in Furbara, took place, in the presence of Commander of the 1st Air Operations Brigade, Major General Riccardo Rinaldi, the change of command ceremony at the 17th Raiders Wing between Colonel Livio Albano, outgoing, and the Colonel Michele Anelli, subsequent.
Among the most significant parts of the ceremony was the moment of the speech given by Colonel Albano che, in retracing his journey at the helm of the Wing, of which he was one of the founders, and in listing the objectives achieved, could not help but “to proudly state that the 17th Wing is a reality of excellent value. I therefore cannot fail to express my admiration and deep gratitude to all the personnel and their families for their dedication, spirit of sacrifice, and energy poured daily into serving the country.”.
The outgoing Commander also wished to dedicate particular thanks to the men and women who supported him through the challenges of these years, to his Commanders, the Major General Rinaldi, Air Marshal Biavati and the’Admiral Pezzutti, Commander of COFS, until Warrant Officer Alright, Side Commanders Special Units, for the constant exchange of experiences.
It was then the turn of Colonel Anelli beginning by acknowledging the enthusiasm, pride, and determination he saw in the eyes of the Wing's personnel, he assured that he would shape his Command in a way that maintains a calm and stimulating working environment, where everyone can feel valued and ready to respond to the growing challenges of an uncertain, complex, and rapidly changing future.“We cannot stop. Our traditions, our past, and the heroic actions that have marked the first 100 years of the Air Force, compel us to continue to dare. Together we will fly ever higher, reaching ever more ambitious goals.”.
It Commander of the 1st BAOS, Major General Riccardo Rinaldi, in their speech, they stressed how “Commanding the 17th Parachute Assault Wing is a ‘challenge within a challenge’ in itself, as it involves leading a unit with a strong operational connotation that carries out its activities exclusively in territories characterised by high risk and high threat, and in joint and international contexts. Although highly prestigious, it is a demanding task that consumes countless physical and mental energies, which inevitably impact on aspects of private life.”General Rinaldi then went on to express his esteem and pride in Colonel Albano and confirm his confidence in Colonel Anelli, wishing him future satisfaction in carrying out his duties as Commander.
It 17th Wing Its task is to select, train, instruct, and prepare for operational deployment the Air Force Special Forces (FS), namely the AM commandos. Ensure the constant availability of operational detachments ready for deployment for Special Operations (OS) conducted both in the single service environment and under the auspices of the Joint Interforce Command for Operations Special Forces (COFS).
Ensure raiders capable of carrying out all the missions common to other Special Forces, with which they must be completely interchangeable, integratable and interoperable, with an additional specific, fundamental and innovative task, that of integrating and synchronising air power with Special Operations through the orchestration of air and surface forces to provide synergistic effects on a common objective or series of objectives in adherence to doctrine Special Operations Air to Land Integration (SOALI). The 17th Attack Wing depends on the 1st Air Brigade which, in turn, depends on Air Squad Command.
