Those who have seen i have been intense months Airship Rifles of the 16 ° Stormo "Protection of the Forces" of the Air Force committed to safeguarding personnel, vehicles and infrastructures of the Italian Military Support Base (BMIS). The military installation located in the capital of the Republic of Djibouti, a state of increasing geopolitical importance, guarantees the necessary logistical support to the various national operations active in the Horn of Africa and the Indian Ocean.
Take over from the brigade's paratroopers thunderbolt on 8 April, the "blue berets" of the Air Force ensured the security framework so that the personnel of the various Armed Forces, which constitute the permanent nucleus of the Italian contingent stationed in the small African State, could operate safely in support of Italian personnel, ships and aircraft in transit or in the many reconstruction works for the civilian population.
The handover with the Alpine troops of the 1st Mountain Artillery Regiment, last 10 July, was sanctioned by a sober ceremony presided over by the BMIS commander, the Italian Army Colonel Lorenzo Guani. The Officer expressed appreciation for the professionalism shown by Airship Rifles in carrying out the mission even in particularly adverse conditions. On the occasion, he renewed his confidence in the Alpine troops. The latter now ensure the delicate assignment in the Horn of Africa, where the shifts between the departments of the various Armed Forces specialized in the Force Protection sector is tangible evidence of a mature interoperability between the various Italian units.
The 16 ° Stormo descends from the 6th Airplane Group which distinguished itself in the Battle of Istria in 1917. Today it is a combat unit of the command of the air squad, employed by the support and special forces command, with tasks of protection of forces.
From 2004 has worked in 36 different international missions, in 16 several operating theaters in the world, maturing over 33 thousand hours of flight, of which 21 thousand for the safety of the Air Force aircraft and those on board.
It is the department of the Airship Rifles, which from August 2005 to December 2014 were present in Afghanistan to ensure the protection of the base of Herat. 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.
