The ceremony was presided over by the General of Division Giuseppe Spinelli, Italian National Military Representative at SHAPE and the highest national military authority, and by the Maj. General Andrew Mueller, E-3A Component Commander.
Also present was the Commander of the Italian Military Aviation Representative (RAMI) of Geilenkirchen, Lieutenant Colonel Stefano De Angelis, and numerous Senior National Representatives, representing the 16 Nations participating in the AWACS program.
In his speech, Colonel D'Asta, underlining the exceptional international experience he had, publicly thanked and congratulated all the Italian personnel assigned to the Component, declaring that he was a "very lucky Commander in managing men and women of excellent professional and human depth and exemplary motivation ". The Colonel of Auction left the Component to return to Italy and take on the role of Head of Coordination Office at the newly formed ISTAR Brigade, where he will be able to put his many years of experience gained at the NAEW & CF E-3A Component in Geilenkirchen to good use.
Colonnello Di Martino will be the first Italian Commander to hold, at the same time, the position at the top of the Ops Wing and the Training Wing at the E-3A Component. Al Colonnello Di Martino will have the delicate task of managing the transition to the reorganization of the two mentioned Departments, which, after the already started Force Review process, will meet in a single Command.
During the same ceremony, the Colonel Di Martino has also assumed the role of National Senior Representative, Commander of the Italian component body at the Nato base of Geilenkirchen as well as Commander of the body.
The E-3A Component is one of the two operational elements of the NATO Airborne Early Warning & Control Force. It is NATO's first multinational operational flight unit, unique in military history, in which 16 nations participate. The Department's mission is to provide aircraft and crews trained to provide a worldwide surveillance and control platform at the request of the NATO Airborne Early Warning & Control Force (Force Commander), on behalf of the Supreme Commander of the 'Alliance in Europe (SACEUR).
The Department operates on E-3A (AWACS) aircraft, not all of which are always located on the Main Operating Base in Geilenkirchen, but often deployed on the various Forward Operating Bases of Trapani, Aktion in Greece, Konya in Turkey, or Orland in Norway. -3A Component is composed of five main functional areas: the Operations Wing, the Training Wing, the Logistic Wing, the Information Technology Wing and the so-called Headquarters. Each of these areas is controlled by a Colonel. The OPS Wing, in particular, is responsible for the conduct of operations and in the past thirty years of activity has participated in multiple important operations, including the Afghan Assist operation, in Afghanistan in support of the ISAF mission, and the Unified Protector Operation, during the duration of the Libyan crisis.
Source: Nato Early Warning & Control Force E-3A Component - Geilenkirchen - Ten.Col. Federico Merola