On Thursday 30 September, the handover ceremony with General D’Orazio took place, in the presence of the Chief of the Air Force General Staff, General S.A. Bernardis. In the Hall of Heroes at Palazzo Aeronautica in Rome, General Bernardis expressed his appreciation to the staff of the two General Offices for the work carried out and the results achieved in their respective areas of responsibility, confident that their commitment will remain as strong and dedicated as ever in the future. General D’Orazio is set to take up the post of Head of the Administration Department of the Commissariat and Administration Service within the Air Force Logistics Command. General Rizzo, born in Trapani in 1949, attended the Air Force Academy in Pozzuoli (Naples) as part of the ‘Grifo III’ intake, where he obtained a degree in Aeronautical Sciences. He also obtained a degree in Political Science from the Faculty of Political Science at the University of Trieste in 2008. During his career, he has served as an instructor and teacher at the Lecce Flight School and the Air Force Academy. Among his most significant posts were command of the 537th Logistics Group of the 37th Wing at Trapani Birgi, Pantelleria Airport, the 546th SLO Unit of the 46th Air Brigade in Pisa, and the Headquarters of the Air Force Logistics Command. He served as Head of the General Affairs Section within the Office of the Chief of the Air Force General Staff and subsequently as Head of the Office of the Deputy Chief of the Air Force General Staff, as well as Head of the Italian Air Force Representation (RAMI) in Geilenkirchen (Germany). As Head of the 4th Logistics Office of the General Staff of the Italian Air Force Schools Command/3rd Air Region in Bari, he served as Project Manager for the most significant projects concerning training institutes, from the ’Tuscia’ project —which led to the establishment of the Marshals‘ School in Viterbo in 2005—to the ’Florentia‘ project with the founding of the ’G. Douhet’ School in Florence, the ’Serapide’ project for the refurbishment of the Air Force Academy, and the first e-learning course for the professional development of Marshals. He commanded the 4th Technical Maintenance Unit DA/AV/TLC at Borgo Piave (Latina). He is Head of the 3rd Department of Management and Sociological Studies at the Air Force Schools Command/3rd Air Region. He is the creator and coordinator of the Centre for Management Methodologies project, established at the Institute of Military Aeronautical Sciences in Florence. He holds PMP (Project Management Professional) certification from the PMI and is a Prince2 Practitioner; he is one of the founding members of ISIPM (Italian Institute of Project Management), for which he is responsible for relations with the Armed Forces. He attended the 61st Session of the Institute of Higher Defence Studies at the CASD during the 2009/2010 academic year.He has been awarded the following honours: Knight-Officer of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic; Bronze Commemorative Medal for rescue operations in Campania – Basilicata; Commemorative Medal for rescue operations during the Pozzuoli bradyseism; Gold Cross for Length of Service (40 years); Mauritian Medal of Merit for ten lustri of military service; Silver Military Medal of Merit for Long-Term Command. The General Office for Internal Control reports directly to the Chief of the Air Force General Staff and is responsible for promoting the continuous improvement of the Armed Forces‘ ’Management Control‘ (CDG) system and fostering a ’results-oriented culture’. The General Office for the Coordination of Accident Prevention Supervision, established in 2006 and organised into two Area Supervision Services based at the Air Region Commands (Milan and Bari), is responsible for monitoring compliance with legislation on health and safety at work in places where classified or operational activities are carried out.
