On Wednesday 17 January, an information meeting was held at the 51st Wing of Istrana in which information was given about the professional figure of the Rifleman of the Air and the recent call for personnel to be employed in this sector was illustrated in detail. .
The 51st Wing was chosen among the bases where to carry out this dissemination activity. The conference was dedicated not only to the personnel of the permanent staff of the Istrana airport but also to the military from other bases in the "north-east" who might be interested in undertaking a professional path in the Air Riflemen.
The commander of the 16th Wing, Colonel Giampaolo Marin, also took part in the appointment, who focused on the value and meaning of “being” Rifleman of the Air. Colonel Marin highlighted the professional opportunities offered by the announcement, as well as the characteristics and skills required by the life of the Rifleman, a path to be undertaken with courage and enthusiasm so that it will prove to be profitable for themselves and for the Air Force.
The conference has aroused considerable interest, also witnessed by the large number of questions asked by the audience to the staff of 16 ° Stormo who, at the end of the meeting, thanked the commander of 51 ° Stormo, Colonel David Morpurgo for the hospitality received and for the perfect success of the event.
The 51 ° Stormo and the 16 ° Stormo depend on the Rome Air Squad Command.
The 51 ° Stormo is one of the Air Force Flight Departments. It is based in Istrana (TV). The Department has the configuration of a Fighter-Bomber and Reconnaissance Wing, based on the presence of a flying group, the 132nd Reconnaissance Bomber Fighter Group (CBR), equipped with AMX and AMX-T aircraft.
The main tasks of the Stormo are therefore:
- Combined operations to support surface forces;
- Attack and reconnaissance operations against targets related to enemy forces and war potential.
The 16 ° Stormo descends from the 6th Airplane Group which distinguished itself in the Battle of Istria in 1917. Today it is an operational department of the Air Squad Command, under the support of the Support and Special Forces Command, with tasks of protecting the forces.
Since 2004 he has operated in 36 different international missions, in 16 different operational theaters around the world, gaining over 33 flight hours, of which 21 for the safety of the Air Force aircraft and those on board.
It is the Department of Air Riflemen, which from August 2005 to December 2014 were present in Afghanistan to ensure the protection of the Herat Base. The 5 April 2015, the War Flag of the 16 ° Stormo "Protection of Forces" was decorated with Silver Medal for Aeronautical Value by the President of the Republic.
