The ceremony was presided over by the Chief of Staff, General of the Air Squadron Pasquale Preziosa. The event was attended by, in addition to the Fanfara and the units formed by personnel from the permanent staff of the 1st Air Region Command and the Linate Airport/General Headquarters Command, the War Flag of the 50th Piacenza Squadron, awarded the Silver Medal for Military Valor, on behalf of all operational units present in the territory of the 1st Air Region and the pennants of the Lombardy Region, the Province of Milan and the City of Milan, the latter of which was decorated with the Gold Medal for Military Valor. In addition, a large delegation of members of Combatant and Military Associations present on the territory took part in the ceremony. In his farewell speech, General Nordio, after respectfully greeting General Preziosa and thanking the civil, military and religious authorities who took part in the ceremony, paid a respectful tribute to the War Flag of the 50th Squadron, recalling the fallen of the Air Force and those who serve the homeland outside national borders regardless of the uniform they wear. The outgoing Commander, addressing the Chief of Staff of the General Staff, praised the work carried out by the personnel of the 1st Air Region, “Men and women who worked with professionalism and dedication. Today, I formally recognize them for this. Thank you for what you have done for the Air Force.”Continuing in his presentation, General Nordio, in extending sincere good luck wishes to General Ottone, emphasized his personal satisfaction with the return to the top leadership of the 1st Air Region of a Air Force General, “Because the Aeronautics Department in Milan and the city deserve such a high institutional figure”And he then thanked the Milanese authorities for always being close to the Armed Forces.
General Ottone, in his speech, after a respectful “I bow”To the War Flag of the 50th Squadron,“the ultimate synthesis of our values and of our fallen comrades who were honored by these same values to the utmost sacrifice”I thank General Preziosa for the trust placed in me to lead the 1st Air Region,“ said General Preziosa.“at a time of significant changes for our Armed Forces and generalized difficulties not only in the Air Force but also for the entire country”And he continued by thanking General Nordioper for the renewed enthusiasm and sense of belonging he was able to instill in the personnel of the 1st R.A. The new Commander, continuing his speech, then asked the military and civilian personnel of the 1st R.A. to participate in every occasion but above all to act with passion, “A unique and extremely high value that has always distinguished us; a value that gives concrete depth to the things we do in the service of the country”Finally, after expressing contentment, conviction and pride at taking on the new assignment, also for personal reasons beyond professional ones, he focused on the importance of staff cohesion and the deep sense of shared responsibility, elements indispensable in a period when epochal changes are looming for the Armed Forces and the Air Force, “This sharing is something the 1st Air Region cannot remain indifferent to, and for which I assure the Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces of the full cooperation of this Command from now on.”.The Chief of Staff of the Air Force, in his speech, after addressing a greeting to the civil and military authorities present at the ceremony, focused on the importance of the role the Air Force plays in favor of the collective and on the sense of belonging of the military component to the national community.’.
General Preziosa, defining our airports, our command centers, our barracks “The home of the Italians”He made a quick mention of all the activities the Armed Forces carry out in the service of the country and the international cooperation tasks carried out through field missions to help and support populations in difficulty. In particular, General Preziosa highlighted “The constant commitment that the Air Force makes with its personnel, who are on duty 24 hours a day, 365 days a year”in the preparation and use of the device for the defense of airspace, in emergency medical transport through which “Human lives are saved thanks to the use of military aircraft for the transport of people in serious health conditions”In the flight assistance service for civil air traffic, in cases where the service is not provided by the National Flight Assistance Agency. Finally, the Chief of Staff of the General Staff extended a greeting and expressed his gratitude to General Nordio, focusing on the operational importance of the assignment he will assume as Commander of Air Operations, and wished General Ottone well in the delicate role of Commander of the 1st Air Region, while retaining his position as Commander of the Schools of the 3rd Air Region, with vast and important territorial responsibilities of fundamental importance for the Armed Forces.
Air Force General Mario Renzo Ottone was born in Arona (NO) in 1952 and joined the Air Academy in 1973 with the “Orione 3°” course.
After obtaining the Military Pilot’s Certificate in 1978, he served as a “combat ready” pilot on the F-104S aircraft at the 23rd CIO Group of the 5th Flight of Rimini until 1982.
Qualified in 1984 as Pilot Test Pilot/Experimenter at the Empire Test Pilot School in Boscombe Down (UK); in 1989/90 he commanded the 311th Flight Group of the Experimental Flight Department (RSV), after having held the positions of Head of Flight Test Section and Head of Operations Office within the RSV; during this period he participated in important programs to develop the Armed Forces“ weapon systems, such as the intensive tests of the AMX aircraft, the ”Mid-life update“ program for the Tornado, the development of prototypes of the A-129 Mangusta and EH-101 helicopters, and the ”interim fighter” F-104 ASA program. In the period 1990/92 he was Flight Assistant to the Chief of Staff of the Air Force and subsequently was assigned to Washington (USA) with the assignment of Assistant Aeronautical Officer at the Italian Embassy (1992/95).
Returning from abroad, after being assigned for a year (1995/1996) to the Air Force General Staff 1st Department as Head of the 4th Training Office, he was assigned to Trapani to take over the command of the 37th Wing, which he held until 1998.
Upon returning to Rome, he was assigned to the Vertice Interforze Operational Command, where he held the position of Head of the J5 Plans Division from 1998 to 2001 and the position of Head of the Planning Department from 2001 to 2005. Since August 25, 2005, he has held the position of Commander of the 1st Division-CSV of the AM Logistics Command.
On August 21, 2007, he assumed the position of Deputy Commander of the NATO Air Component Command in Izmir (Turkey).
Returning to national territory, from August 2, 2010 he assumed the duties of Commander of the newly-constituted COA (Air Operations Command), Commander of the CAOC5 (5th Center for NATO Combined Air Operations) and, until December 30, 2010, Deputy Operational Commander of the Air Forces of Poggio Renatico (FE).
From February 3, 2012, General Ottone assumed the duties of Commander of the Air Force Schools and the 3rd Air Region, while simultaneously retaining those of Commander of the COA and the CAOC5 until April 25, 2012.
From July 1, 2013, he assumed the position of Commander of the 1st Air Region, while simultaneously retaining the position of Commander of the AM Schools and the 3rd Air Region.
General Ottone was, among other things, Commander responsible for the conduct of Air Operations carried out by NATO in the skies of Libya during the period March-October 2011, an assignment for which he was awarded the NATO Medal for the Operation named “Unified Protector”.
During his career, in addition to the normal and advanced courses of the War School provided for in the training process for AM Officers, he attended the following courses:
“Pilot-Tester/Experimenter” at the ETPS (UK) in 1984;
“Joint Combined-Air Staff Course” at the USAF in 1998.
General Ottone has over 3,500 hours of flight experience, on more than 50 different types of aircraft and helicopters.
He holds a Bachelor's degree in Aeronautical Sciences and is awarded the following honors:
Maurizian Medal for Merit of 10-years of military career;
Commendatore of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic;
Military Medal of the Air Force for long-distance aviation (20 years);
Gold Cross of Long Service (40 years);
NATO medal for operations in Kosovo and former Yugoslavia;
NATO Medal for Operation Unified Protector- (Libya);
Military Medal for Long Command Service (Silver);-
Interforze Decoration of Honor SMD;-
Commemorative Cross for the competition to maintain international security in Afghanistan.
General Ottone is married and has a daughter. During his free time, he enjoys playing golf.
