The handover with General Sardone took place in the presence of the Chief of Staff of the Air Force.
On Monday 29 April, at the “Cortile dei Trasvolatori” of Palazzo Aeronautica, the handover ceremony for the command of the Directorate for the Employment of Military Personnel (DIPMA) took place, between Air Division General Fabio Sardone and Air Force General Francesco Vestito. The event, held in the presence of Air Force General Luca Goretti, Chief of Staff of the Italian Air Force, was attended by numerous Authorities, guests, family members, and a representation of the military personnel of DIPMA.
In his farewell greeting, the outgoing Director, after thanking the guests for their participation, highlighted how challenging and stimulating the role of Director of DIPMA had been: “I am stepping down from my role today after over two years of intense work in a sector regulated by laws of varying levels and permeated by competing interests, all equally deserving of protection.“. A task, General Sardone recalled, which represented “a moment of profound professional growth, with the opportunity to better understand the human fabric that makes the Armed Forces what they are, namely a dynamic, technologically advanced and forward-looking Armed Forces thanks to the professionalism, specialisation and agility of the personnel who populate it“.
The outgoing Director continued his speech by thanking the Chief of Staff of the Air Force, the Commanders, and the Heads of the top-level bodies for’the support and trust necessary to carry out the difficult task, for having always been available to listen to the reasons and support the actions of the Dipma. […] The collaboration and dialogue I have had with all of you has been the main value that has enabled the Directorate to operate, seeking to do its best for the Air Force, in pursuit of the ever more difficult balance between expanding operational needs and shrinking human resources“.
The outgoing Director then expressed his thanks to the men and women of Dipma, saying: “for enabling the results achieved. […] Together we have transformed opportunities into concrete results. […] When a swan moves majestically and with apparent ease on water, it can only do so because beneath there are its webbed feet, silently, in the shadows and hidden, doing their daily laborious work. […] We have operated in difficult conditions and in the presence of disadvantageous demographic dynamics, having to manage the effects of the recruitment contraction foreseen by the regulations in the face of an international situation that requires an incremental effort, in a phase of expansion of the Armed Force's capacity towards the natural extension of the aerospace domain.“.
General Sardone, finally, hoping that the path taken so far will be useful to the incoming Director in guiding the Directorate towards higher achievements, addressed General Vestito, saying: “Francesco, I wish you that the role brings you all, and indeed greater, satisfactions than those it has given me. I am certain that the Dipma staff will be able to support you.“.
General Vestito, in thanking the Chief of Staff of the Air Force for the trust placed in him, stated: ’ready to take on this prestigious assignment. It is an honour for me. To walk under the three arches and read the names of those who have gone before us, instils in us the utmost respect for them and for the Flag of this marvellous Air Force. […] I know there are very capable people here who are carrying out a task of absolute importance for the Armed Force, that of personnel.”Recalling the many changes that have characterised and continue to shape the Air Force, General Vestito highlighted that “Social hardship necessitates reflection and listening to people's needs, while maintaining the Armed Forces' maximum operational efficiency. Assertive dialogue, characterised by the sense of ethics and transparency that must always define us, because we represent a model for society.“.
Speaking to conclude the ceremony, Air Force Commander Luca Goretti stressed the importance of the event as “it encompasses something essential for the Air Force, namely personnel management. We can change equipment, we can adopt fifth-generation aircraft, think about sixth generation, but if we don't think about personnel, in fact, all of this is in vain.“.
The Chief of Staff of the Air Force then thanked General Sardone for the work carried out: ’Fabio, you truly deserve a big round of applause for what you've done. It's not easy managing people because people aren't machines. Machines can be piloted, driven, directed, but people must be dealt with seriously because behind every person there's a family, behind a person there are expectations. Sometimes we have to make difficult choices because it's necessary for the good of the Armed Forces, which is a priority, but we must look precisely at the legitimate expectations of the personnel, because today as it is, it's a determining factor..
Turning then to the Dipma staff, General Goretti recalled how the work of personnel management is neither simple nor trivial and obvious: You have done an amazing job, a truly exceptional job, and I am proud of that because the transformation of the fifth-generation Air Force also involves a transformation of how personnel are employed, through targeted research into what is actually needed, to understand exactly how we can develop personnel to keep pace with what technology offers us.
The Chief of Staff, finally, wished the new Director good luck, saying: “Francesco, I am convinced that you will do your job well. The choice was not random because I believe you are the most suitable person, at this time of great transformation for the Armed Force, to understand exactly how to best employ personnel. […] We must grow, united, all together to be a point of reference within our State. Today, we need values, we need rules, we need motivation, and the Air Force embodies all these elements. […] It takes effort, it takes work, it takes sweat, but we must do it not only for the good and protection of the people we employ but above all for our Flag and for what Italy represents, even internationally.“.
