The "Leone Alato 23" exercise ended today which for ten days saw many Army units simulate a possible scenario in Cagnano Varano (FG) which involved the evacuation of civilian personnel from a possible crisis area in whose situation and safety had been seriously compromised.
The President of the Republic, Sergio Mattarella and the Minister of Defence, Guido Crosetto, attended the final part of the activity together with the Chief of Defense Staff, Admiral Giuseppe Cavo Dragone, and the Chief of Staff of the Army, General Pietro Serino army corps.
"The complex and difficult international situation means that our Armed Forces are always ready for rapid operations for the evacuation of civilians and training, as occurred during today's exercise, is the best way to guarantee the safety of the our military and civilian personnel, as well as the country's. Our Armed Forces, in the current international context, which sees the presence of a multifaceted threat, must be able and know how to operate together and in a multi-domain environment: from land to sea, from 'air to space to cyberspace' said the Minister of Defense, Guido Crosetto.
The tactical, amphibious and aircraft exercise, in which the president of the Puglia Region and other local authorities also participated, was aimed at demonstrating the capabilities of evacuating non-combatant compatriots (Noncombatant Evacuation Operations) from hostile territories and at highlighting the characteristics of the systems and of vehicles in use in the Army.
The Army Chief of Staff, congratulating the personnel and instructors, underlined that “Today we showed the President of the Republic the Army's ability to conduct a three-dimensional maneuver, a maneuver in addition to the typically land-based one. The Army is a ready and cohesive institution, at the service of the Republic and the Italians which, thanks to the availability of training areas such as that of Cagnano Varano, prepares its soldiers to safely carry out the tasks that the government entrusts to us".
Over 550 soldiers, 9 helicopters, a UAV (Unmanned Aerial Vehicle) asset, dog assets, a minor amphibious complex, a helicopter-borne platoon, an engineering section, a unit Tactical Air Control Party they were among the main Army units engaged, from 19 to 28 September, at the “Ivo Monti” Idroscalo in Puglia.
The training activity, which was carried out in full compliance with the regulations for the protection of the environment, saw troops on the ground belonging to opposing parties and was conducted by the departments of the "Pozzuolo del Friuli" brigade, the "Friuli" aircraft brigade and the Army Aviation Command, with the technical and logistical support of the Puglia Army Military Command and the “Pinerolo” brigade.
