The air riflemen of the 16 ° Stormo "Protection of the Forces" of the Air Force, based in Martina Franca (Taranto), have taken on the delicate task of ensuring the security and protection framework for the personnel and infrastructure of the Military Base Italian Support Service (BMIS) in Djibouti, in the Horn of Africa. The military of the Italian Air Force took over from the paratroopers of the brigade thunderbolt of the Italian Army.
The handover was sanctioned by a sober ceremony, presided over by the commander of the BMIS, the Colonel of the Italian Army Lorenzo Guani, who, in congratulating the paratroopers of the thunderbolt for "the long-lasting and tireless commitment and the very high level of professionalism shown", he renewed his full trust in the air riflemen.
The delicate assignment is nothing new for the fusiliers of the air. For several years now, the soldiers of the Air Force alternate with the units of the Army and the Navy specialized in Force Protection to protect the base where the Italian contingent operates, providing logistical support to national operations in the Horn of Africa and the Indian Ocean.
The Italian military support base in Djibouti has about 90 soldiers from the various Armed Forces that make up the permanent core of the mission.
