On the day when the Air Force celebrates the 93 anniversary of its constitution, I wish to send to its officers, non-commissioned officers, graduates, airmen, students and civilians - on duty and on leave - the warm greeting of the Armed Forces and my own.
Every soldier, sailor, and carabiniere huddles in a fraternal embrace to you, colleagues of the Blue Arm, who celebrate a symbolic date with motivated pride among the glorious pages so far written by you and your predecessors. Almost nineteen decades, full of sacrifices and full of luminous examples of courage and heroism, make the epic of our Aeronautics a historical heritage of absolute importance for the Armed Forces and for the entire nation.
In the first post-war period, thanks to the capitalization of the pioneering Italian aviation experiences of the Army and Navy, the Regia Aeronautica came to life, an ante litteram model of that joint and innovative spirit that still permeates the Armed Force. A dynamic reality, grown in the name of the avant-garde and always reaching out towards new and ambitious goals.
In the year in which we celebrate the 70 years of the Republic, our deferential thought goes to the Fallen, to whom we address a heartfelt tribute, and to the innumerable proofs of expertise and dedication offered by the Air Force in the skies and on the fronts of the Fatherland and the world. Blue Value, "... shrine to heroes that cloaks the whole nation with glory, for incitement for future generations ..." as emblematically recites the motivation of one of the Gold Medals for Military Valor conferred on the War Flag of the Weapon.
This exhortation was ideally collected by the many Italians who in recent years - with audacity, professionalism and self-sacrifice - they have proudly dressed the Azure uniform in the various operational, experimental, technical, logistic, training and administrative roles required by the many activities carried out at home and abroad.
The defense of airspace, the rescue of populations, emergency medical transport and international collaboration are among the missions that make the Italian Air Force a point of pride and pride for the country, to which is added the achievement of excellence and firsts in the scientific, technological and medical fields.
The Arma Azzurra is thus able to express a wide range of capabilities, which preserves and develops thanks to a constant effort to optimize available resources and search for operational and functional solutions, confirming itself as a perfectly integrated and synergistic component of the military instrument.
A team that knows how to operate effectively even in a multidisciplinary and multi-dimensional key - with the utmost promptness, extreme flexibility and great modularity -, contributing to the defense of national interests and to contributing to the promotion and safeguarding of stability and peaceful coexistence among peoples.
Of all this you, men and women of the Air Force, are the undisputed protagonists, with your silent and daily commitment, your professionalism, your passion and your enthusiasm. I express my heartfelt applause to you and express my best wishes so that, with the support and inspiration of your values and the push of technological innovation, you may always achieve better fortunes.
Long live the Air Force, live the Armed Forces, Long live Italy!
