During the Ceremony, the “Douhet-Mitchell Trophy” was awarded to the winners of the 2020/2021 edition of the 87th ISMA Normal Course.
The ceremony, presided over by the Commander of the Air Force Military Sciences Institute, Air Brigadier General Urbano Floreani, was opened by Colonel Davide Rosellini, Commander of the Air Force Military School, who wished to emphasise how the presentation of the sword symbolises the official entry into the School and the Air Force, whose values and principles the young cadets pledge to uphold.
The solemnity of the moment was reiterated by General Floreani, who invited the students to be proud and honoured of this achievement, as a testament to the full confidence that the Air Force places in them and in their potential for the future of the entire country.
The ceremony continued with the awarding of scholarships, donated by associations, institutions and families who have always been connected to the school, to the pupils who most distinguished themselves for curricular, disciplinary and sporting merits achieved in the previous academic year.
Next, the most significant moment of the day, the presentation of the “spadino” [short sword] to the cadets of the 1st Course, who joined on September 6th: the second-year cadets personally presented the coveted spadino to each cadet of the 1st Course. This symbolises an ideal handover of the School's traditions and an identification with the values and principles of the Institute and the Air Force.
The spadino originates from an ancient seafaring tradition: it was, in fact, a short weapon created for young officers who, on board naval units, could not efficiently perform their duties using the long service sabre. Over time, the spadino therefore became synonymous with “young person” or “apprentice,” spreading as a tradition among other branches of the armed forces.
This year, the ceremony was also an opportunity for the awarding of the “Douhet-Mitchell Trophy”, four officers of the Italian Air Force and one civilian, all attendees of the 87th Normal Course of the Institute of Aeronautical Military Sciences.
The Douhet-Mitchell Trophy was established in the 1983/1984 Academic Year through a collaboration and cultural exchange agreement between the then Air War School and the USAF Air War College at Maxwell, under the patronage of the Order of the Sons and Daughters of Italy in America (OSIA). The literary competition aims to recognise the capital contributions made by Major General Giulio Douhet (1869-1930) and Brigadier General William “Billy” Mitchell (1879-1936) to the progress of their respective countries' Air Forces. The Trophy seeks to promote a study and research paper (thesis) on a topic related to Aerospace Power that is original in its contribution of ideas and food for thought. The award is presented both in Italy and the United States: in Italy at the ISMA in Florence, and in the United States at the USAF Air War College in Maxwell (Alabama).
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The “Giulio Douhet” Air Force Military School (inaugurated in 2006), like the other Military Schools (Nunziatella in Naples, Teulié in Milan, and Morosini in Venice), is a post-secondary educational institution that offers courses for the final three years of secondary education in classical and scientific streams, accessed via public competition.
I am currently attached to the 108th Recruit School, of which 52 are female, divided into the Rigel Course in its third and final year, the Sirio Course in its second year, and the 1st Course, which was incorporated on 06 September 2021.
