The celebration ceremony of the 99th Anniversary of the establishment of the Italian Air Force, officially born as an autonomous and independent Armed Force on 28 March 1923.
The Ciampino event, of high institutional value, marked the start of the countdown in view of the centenary which will be celebrated on 28 March 2023 and once again testified to the continuity of the heritage of values, passion and identity of the Arma Azzurra, essential for contributing, with other institutions, civil and military, to national and international security as well as to the protection of the community, expressing all the capabilities of aerospace power in support of the country.
Exactly one year after its centenary, the Air Force has launched a path full of events, organized throughout Italy, to tell about their past and showing citizens the Armed Force of today and the objectives for the future.
The Chief of Defense Staff, Admiral Giuseppe Cavo Dragone, after a greeting address to those present, reiterated how the current Russian-Ukrainian crisis has highlighted "an expansion of the operational horizon that has seen the addition of the space and cyber domains to the three traditional domains, land, sea and sky. It is precisely the cyber domain that is having great importance during this crisis, both in the preparation of the battlefield and in management; the space, now populated by satellites and sensors capable of providing information, images, data connections and communications, is destined to transform in the near future into a real theater of confrontation. The Air Force, which has always believed and invested in space-related activities, today it represents the leading Armed Force for the development of ever greater joint capabilities in that domain ".
The Chief of Defense Staff, Admiral Giuseppe Cavo Dragone, finally remarked how "in this conflict, in an equally marked way, a particularly subtle world of confrontation emerged, that represented by the cognitive war that characterized the start and still today alters the real development of this crisis. A cognitive war that does not involve the use of violence, of course, but a structured manipulation of information, therefore disinformation, mass media used indiscriminately and instrumental, malicious, also to influence decisions and to condition the general public. All these are horizons that we will have to face in the future. This will certainly involve changes in posture and preparation that will see us fully engaged with the other institutions and with the other departments in a synergistic way, pursuing an inter-force integration and interoperability increasingly pushed towards the management of multidomain operations. In this sense, the Air Force, which has always had the combination of speed and innovation in its DNA, is already playing a leading role, proven to be absolutely at the forefront.".
"With almost 100 years of history on its wings, ours is today an air force appreciated in Italy and abroad, modern and capable of expressing all forms of aero-space power in support of a military instrument that operates in the service of the country. , in full synergy and uniqueness of purpose with the terrestrial and naval components.
These are the words of the Chief of Staff of the Air Force, air squad general Luca Goretti, who recalled, among other things, the contribution provided by the Armed Force during the pandemic, the airlift from Afghanistan and the current contribution to defense and security of Italy as well as international stability.
He then added: "To be ready and effective it is necessary to keep up with the times; in fact, as a characterizing element, the strong link between the Air Force and the rapid technological progress that requires making choices at the same speed is indissoluble. daring but necessarily far-sighted, to be able tomorrow, to face the whole spectrum of modern conflict, even within new domains such as space and cyber "
Then, addressing the men and women of the Armed Force, General Goretti concluded:
Let us approach the Centenary of the Air Force with enthusiasm, pride and pride. I count on each of you to become true "ambassadors in blue" of the centenary. It will be a great opportunity to tell our story, make known our values, our ideals and our precious skills at the service of the community and institutions..
Several political and military authorities were present at Ciampino, including the Minister of Defense.
"Today - Minister Guerini said during his speech - we begin the last stage towards the 100-year milestone with an avant-garde technological aviation, equipped with highly specialized professionalism that, with the same precursor spirit of the early years, is projected towards the future to continue to be relevant in a geopolitical context particularly challenging. The impetus towards progress, protection of national technological sovereignty and a guarantee of safety for our fellow citizens of today and tomorrow, concerns all sectors of the Armed Force that are developing, as has been mentioned, in the wake of 5th generation aircraft and they are projected along the future lines of new programs, such as the 'Tempest Program'. Defense investments are important and functional to our most precious assets, security, an essential prerequisite for peace, since the capacity of deterrence is essential for preserving the fundamental values of our society and the achievements of our democracies, recently dramatically put in place. jeopardized by the bloody invasion of Ukraine. In this tragic current situation that afflicts our thoughts but which strengthens our collective will, I underline the precious contribution provided by the Arma Azzurra, which I thank on behalf of the whole Government, for the commitment and professionalism put in place to protect the space. aircraft of the Atlantic Alliance, as well as I thank the other components of the military instrument deployed in the device deployed to defend the Euro-Atlantic spaces ".
