The evaluation period involved personnel from the 11th DAMI Group and the General Services Support Unit, both part of the Air Operations Command. On Friday 16 February, the Tactical Evaluation (TACEVAL) of the 11th DAMI Group and the General Services Support Unit (RSSG) concluded at the Air Operations Command (COA) in Poggio Renatico. The evaluation forms part of the TACEVAL Programme of Allied Command Operations and took place from 8 to 15 February. The aim of the TACEVAL was to verify the readiness and the military, logistical, technical and operational capabilities required of the ASACS (Air Surveillance and Control System) Command and Control units. The assessment team, comprising personnel from NATO member nations and managed by the TACEVAL Division of Allied Air Command in Ramstein (Germany), was initially tasked with assessing the preparedness of the personnel involved through Individual Combat Common Skills (ICCS) tests covering first aid, firefighting, knowledge of procedures relating to CBRN (Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear), weapons handling, and communications and data security. In the second phase, command and control capabilities for complex air operations were tested in simulated crisis scenarios, with the units involved interacting across three distinct areas: Operational Capabilities (OPS), Logistical Capabilities (LOG) and Force Protection (FP). Among the scenarios simulated throughout the assessment period, the men and women of Task Force 300, as the COA Task Force under assessment was renamed, had to contend with challenges such as air strikes, ballistic missile launches, cyber attacks, armed intruders within the base, the detection and handling of UXO (Unexploded Ordnance) and air battles. As part of the analysis of operational capabilities, in addition to the simulated scenario, the 11th DAMI Group also managed and supervised complex LIVEX activities; specifically, the ’fighter controllers’ at Pioppo Radar were engaged in overseeing a COMAO (Composite Air Operations), in which around 20 aircraft assets took part. The recently concluded TACEVAL does not represent a point of arrival for the men and women of the COA, but rather a starting point from which to continue working and training to achieve the best possible results ahead of next year’s CAPEVAL (Capability Evaluation).
The 11th DAMI Group, an element directly under the DAMI Department, ensures the defence of national airspace 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, through the control and deployment of radar sensors and radio capabilities disseminated across the entire national territory. From the ’Pioppo“ radar operations room, controllers monitor their area of responsibility and are ready at all times to issue the order for immediate take-off, a scramble, to one of the pairs of Eurofighters which, located throughout the national territory, are always ready for take-off within minutes and to face any type of threat. The General Services Support Department, co-located at Poggio Renatico, provides the technical, logistical, and administrative support services necessary for the operation of the national, NATO, and European entities located at Poggio Renatico.
