To Engineer Luigi D’Angelo and the members of the delegation of the Department of Civil Protection were presented the dual-use characteristics of the 3rd Stormtrooper Squadron. The visit to the 3rd Stormtrooper Squadron in Villafranca di Verona (VR) was held on the morning of June 5 by Engineer Luigi D’Angelo, Operational Director for Emergency Coordination of the Department of Civil Protection. The visit aimed to familiarize the Department of Civil Protection with those operational military capabilities that are best suited to be dual-use, that is, to be able to operate in a similar way in the military and civil dimensions. In this regard, the Commander of the 3rd Squadron, Col. Pietro Spagnoli, presented the organization and activities of the Department, which are best suited to the potential needs of Civil Protection, such as the organization of helicopter landing zones complete with essential services for their operation: air traffic information services, fire prevention, refueling, the construction and management of rapidly deployable command and control rooms. The visit continued at the department’s units in order to “see for themselves” what was described in the introductory briefing. The delegation was shown, among other things, the operation of the Mobile Control Tower and other assets used in Amatrice during the 2016 earthquake in Central Italy. In addition, it was possible to show the Air CBRN and Medical Support capabilities, which, through the use of highly specialized resources, prepare, set up, and manage essential services to support operational components deployed both domestically and abroad. The visit was also an important learning opportunity for the Stormo personnel, who participated in the coordination meeting via video conference that the delegation held with the most important national and regional operational rooms (Armed Forces, State Police, Fire Brigade, Coast Guard, and Veneto, Friuli Venezia Giulia, etc.), all of which were involved in conducting a complex exercise simulating a flood event in Central and Northern Italy. At the conclusion of the visit, Eng. Luigi D’Angelo expressed his gratitude for the work that the Stormo has carried out in the various emergency theaters where it was called upon to provide assistance to the population, a work that is very useful and significant for future collaborations.
The dual-mission activities conducted by the 3rd Squadron are carried out by utilizing technologies and means that can be used for both military and civilian purposes, which contribute to the development of high-level capabilities in terms of logistical self-sufficiency, mobility capabilities, flexibility of deployment, and the ability to provide various types of support and services that are increasingly useful to the country. This is therefore an inherent characteristic of the components of the Squadron, which is increasingly called upon to fulfill tasks that, by their nature, are also closely linked to the dimension of civil emergencies, in conjunction with external agencies and departments, when called upon to provide assistance to populations affected by disasters.
