On Monday 5th September, the handover of command to Air Force General Lodovisi, in the presence of the Chief of Staff of the Air Force. The ceremony, presided over by the Chief of Staff of the Italian Air Force, Air Force General Giuseppe Bernardis, was attended by the Heads of Department of the Air Force Staff, the Commanders of Higher Commands, and a representative group of military and civilian personnel from the Staff.
General Lodovisi, who will take up the post of Logistics Commander on 6th September, reflected in his speech on his experience as Deputy Chief, highlighting “the satisfaction for the work done and for the support received from the personnel of the Departments”.
General Corsini, after expressing his heartfelt thanks for the prestigious role, stated that he was confident he could count on the highly professional staff of the General Staff for the achievement of the assigned objectives, as well as on the collaboration of the High Commanders, also\_emphasising ”the importance of listening to the expectations of the new generations“.
The Chief of the Air Force General Staff, speaking at the close of the ceremony, highlighted the loyalty and professionalism with which General Lodovisi had worked alongside him for the good of the Armed Forces, and wished the two Commanders continued success, in their respective posts, the personal and professional successes that have characterised their careers. ____________________________________ General Roberto Corsini, born in Cividale del Friuli (UD) on 9 August 1954, is a graduate of the Air Force Academy’s standard officer training programme, where he attended the “Orione 3°” course.
He completed the piloting course at the Basic Jet Flight School in Lecce on an MB-326 aircraft and obtained his Military Pilot's licence on a G91/T aircraft at the Advanced Jet Flight School in Amendola (Foggia). Transferred to the 20th Group of the 9th Wing in Grosseto, he qualified on the TF-104G aircraft. Subsequently assigned to the 154th Group of the 6th Wing in Ghedi, he achieved “combat readiness” in the “strike” and conventional fighter-bomber role on the F-104G aircraft.
As an instructor pilot, you are assigned to the 204th Squadron of the Advanced Jet Flying School at Amendola, where you also qualify as a tactics and gunnery instructor. Later, you are transferred to the 28th Squadron of the 3rd Wing at Villafranca, where you flew the F/RF 104/G aircraft and held the positions of Squadron Commander and Wing Operations Chief. During the 1991 Gulf War, you were Commander of the F/RF-104G reconnaissance detachment deployed in Turkey for NATO Operation ’ACE Guard“.
During his career, in addition to holding various positions within the 3rd Department of the Air Force Staff, where he was primarily involved in operational issues, he commanded the 2nd Wing in Rivolto (Udine). There, he achieved “combat readiness” also in the conventional fighter-bomber role on AM-X aircraft, subsequently participating in the “Allied Force” operations in Kosovo and “Joint Force” in Bosnia.
Between 2003 and 2004, he held the position of “Italian Senior National Representative” at the “Central Command” in Tampa, Florida (USA). Subsequently, as Deputy Chief of the 4th Department of the SMA, he oversaw the initial phase of the acquisition and operation of the Predators in Italy and their deployment in Iraq.
From 2005 to 2007, he served as Deputy Head of the 3rd Department, responsible for the General Planning area, of the Defence Staff.
From 3 September to 31 October 2007, he was the Commander of the “Aquila” Command in Milan and the “Drago” Command in Bari, with all the Air Force's combat wings under his command.
From 1 November 2007 to 13 June 2010, he held the position of “Commander of Combat Forces”, a structure that combined the responsibilities of the “Aquila” and “Drago” Commands, with Milan remaining as its headquarters.
From 14 June 2010 to 31 July 2011, he held the position of Chief of Staff of the Joint Operations Command (COI).
On 1 July 2011, he was promoted to Air Force General.
General Corsini attended the Normal and Superior courses at the Air War College (Florence), the NATO Defence College (Rome), the Air War College (Maxwell – Montgomery AL – USA), and the Senior International Defence Management Course (Monterey CA – USA). General Corsini holds a Bachelor's degree in “Aeronautical Sciences”, a Master's degree in “International and Diplomatic Sciences”, and a Doctorate in Strategic Sciences from the University of Trieste. He has accumulated over 3,300 flight hours exclusively on combat aircraft.
