On 3 and 4 March 2026, the’Arctic Circle Rome Forum – Polar Dialogue, an international event organised in collaboration with the Ministry of University and Research (MUR) and the CNR, with the coordination of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation and the support of the Ministry of Defence, which saw the Armed Forces participate in civil-military cooperation forums.
The Forum explored the interconnections between the Arctic, Antarctic and the so-called “Third Pole” (mountain glaciers), focusing on five fundamental pillars: Science, Diplomacy, Security, Education and Research, which address global challenges such as climate change, new Arctic shipping routes, eco-friendly shipbuilding and community resilience. Among the various panels at the event, the Defence sector organised the Panel “The Italian model of Civil-Military Cooperation”.
At the invitation of the Joint Interforce Steering Committee for the Arctic, Sub-Arctic and Antarctic of the Defence Staff, the following participated in the meetings for the Air Force: Brigadier General Giuseppe ADDESA, Head of the General Office for Military Aviation and Meteorology and Head of the AM Meteorological Service. T.Col. Francesco Corvaro, an Air Force Officer of the Selected Reserve and the Italian Government's Special Envoy for Climate Change, joined the delegation.
It General B.A. Addesa spoke on 4 March as part of the panel “Advancing Climate Research in Extreme Environments: a model for Civil-Military integration”, presenting the capabilities of the Air Force and in particular the A.M. Meteorological Service as a model of civil-military integration for multiple national and international institutional collaborations. Military operational capabilities are an enabling factor and are decisive in supporting civil scientific research, demonstrating how institutional cooperation is not only an optimisation of resources, but an indispensable necessity to face the challenge of climate security and global sustainability in the 21st century. During his speech, General Addesa highlighted the role of the AM's Meteorological Service, which has been at the forefront of operational meteorology for more than a century and is constantly evolving as a capability and tool for multi-domain security and defence with global and multi-level projection, from the ground and oceans to space. In particular, he recalled that the Air Force is the national delegate for collaboration in international fora related to meteorology, Earth observation from space, and climate and climate change monitoring. He dwelt on the importance of the many years of collaboration with the National Research Council (CNR) on meteorology and climatology in the high mountains with the Centro Aeronautica Militare di Montagna - Monte Cimone (CAMM) within the framework of the monitoring programme of climate-altering gases and atmospheric constituents called Global Atmospheric Watch (GAW) of the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) of the United Nations. Furthermore, he recalled the importance of collaboration with the Italian Research Institutes (Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia - INGV and Istituto Nazionale di Astrofisica - INAF) for the development of an autonomous national capacity for space meteorology. In conclusion, he emphasised the importance of the Air Force's 40-year contribution to the National Research Programme in Antarctica, in terms of assets, qualifying flight crews, and meteorological and scientific personnel, pointing out that these capabilities are an integral part of a virtuous model of civil-military cooperation.
The Italian Air Force also participated in this meeting with the Lt Col Francesco CORVARO, the Special Envoy for Climate Change of the Ministry of the Environment and Energy Security and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, and a university professor with over 20 years of experience in thermodynamics, renewable energy, net-zero, energy transition, sustainable mobility, environmental impact assessment, resilience models, smart city models and life cycle assessment. Lieutenant Colonel Corvaro is the national administrations' point of reference for the external dimension of climate change policies, ensuring the link between the various institutions called upon to tackle this challenge in a holistic manner. In his speech, Prof. Corvaro highlighted the actions that the various administrations are carrying out on such a transversal issue, with a synergic and coordinated approach capable of developing effective responses and, at the same time, strengthening the country's role on the international stage through a scientific climate diplomacy active in both adaptation and mitigation.
