T.Col. Nino Iebba succeeded T.Col. Gaetano Bassi as Commander of the 441st Group of Technical and Operational Services of the 41st Anti-Submarine Squadron in Sigonella.
The ceremony, attended by the Commander of the 41st Wing, Colonel Pilot Dario Missaglia, took place on the “Madonna di Loreto” airfield in the presence of personnel from the Department and their families.
In his farewell speech, Lieutenant Colonel Bassi wanted to thank all the men of the 441st Special Operations Group for the loyalty and spirit of service that enabled them to achieve commendable results, most recently during Operation “Unified Protector”.
In his speech, Lieutenant Colonel Iebba assured the utmost commitment to lead the Group in a spirit of continuity to reaffirm that spirit of staff cohesion essential for achieving prestigious goals.
Colonel Missaglia wished to emphasize in his speech the excellent command action carried out by Lieutenant Colonel Bassi; at the same time, he was sure that Lieutenant Colonel Iebba will be able to guide the men of the Group towards equally positive results. The 441st Technical and Operational Services Group ensures the air traffic assistance services in the Control Zone of Catania, meteorology, supplies of special aeronautical and telematic equipment, ensuring the full operational capacity of the airport of Sigonella, which is also the headquarters of the Naval Air Station. Lieutenant Colonel Iebba, born in Naples on March 14, 1970, joined the Air Academy with the “Leone IV” course. Assigned to the 41st Squadron in 1993, he obtained the qualifications of Tower Controller and Approach Radar Controller. In 2000, he was transferred to the Coordination and Control Service of the Air Force in Abano Terme, where he obtained the qualification of Regional Military Controller. In 2007, he was transferred to the Marescialli School in Viterbo, where he held the position of Course Commander until 2010, then he took over the position of Head of the School Command Office. He is awarded the following honors: NATO Medal for Operations in Kosovo, NATO Medal for Operations in Yugoslavia, Medal of Merit of the ’Loya Jirga“ awarded by Afghan President Hamid Karzai, Commemorative Cross for Operations in Afghanistan, Knight of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre, Silver Cross, NATO Medal ”non article 5“. The 41st Squadron is equipped with Breguet 1150 Atlantic aircraft with which it guarantees its primary mission, which consists of countering the underwater and naval threat and providing long-range search and rescue service at sea. To these activities is added the control of commercial traffic in the Mediterranean as part of the ”post-September 11“ operations against international terrorism. The Atlantic vessels are, in fact, able to conduct systematic searches autonomously throughout the entire Mediterranean area.
