On Wednesday 20 May, in the Sala degli Eroi, the historic hall of Palazzo Aeronautica in Rome, the alternation in the position of Head of the Support Service took place between the air brigadier general Alessandro De Lorenzo and Colonel Pietro Spagnoli. Military authorities and a close representation of the Service personnel participated in the handover, chaired by the logistic commander of the Air Force, general of the air team Giovanni Fantuzzi, in compliance with the emergency decrees in force for Covid-19.
The gen. De Lorenzo, taking the floor, retraced the highlights of the period of command, underlining how, thanks to the collaboration of all the staff available, "every goal has been pursued by guaranteeing operations in all operational sectors of the Armed Force, from the management of customs and transport procedures, to the care of the land vehicle fleet, to the management and supply of fuel lubricants for almost all the defense and Armed Corps of the State , to the management of the large and delicate sector of the logistic projection of air power through the Rapid Airfield Operational System (RAOS) capability of the 3rd Wing, essential for operations abroad ".
With reference to the exercises conducted during his period of command, the gen. De Lorenzo then continued: "Certainly a great goal was the planning of national and international CBRN exercises, which reached its peak last autumn in Villafranca with the organization of the international exercise Toxic Trip, carried out in the presence of the Undersecretary of Defense Hon. Tofalo and of the Chief of Staff of the Air Force, Air Force Gen. Alberto Rosso. Never ever would we have thought of having to use the Castrum asset in an operational context, and with very short notice, and intervene in support of the American Samaritan Purse in the transport, assembly, installation and disassembly, with loading on a DC8 aircraft, of an entire field hospital set up near Cremona. "
At the end of his speech, General De Lorenzo expressed a heartfelt thanks to all the military and civilian personnel of the Service. Al col. Spagnoli has addressed his deep wish for a good job, with the certainty that he will be able to count on the contribution of a human potential of undisputed professional competence.
The col. Spagnoli, in turn, expressed his gratitude to General Fantuzzi for the attribution of the prestigious assignment to guide the Support Service, which brings him back to the ranks of the Logistics Command. "I take command of the Service with great enthusiasm, well aware of its particular mission within the Logistics Command and of its role in helping to produce the operations required by the country". The col. Spagnoli then turned to all the staff of the Service "an extremely competent team, made up of authoritative experts in their respective sectors of employment ready to give their best on every occasion" and asked to operate with maximum commitment and availability, continuing to operate as a cohesive and resilient team in the groove traced by the gen. De Lorenzo.
General Fantuzzi, in highlighting the extreme importance of the activity carried out by the Support Service, especially in favor of the operations conducted by the Armed Force on the national and international territory, thanked General De Lorenzo for the work done and for the brilliant results obtained from all components of the Service. He then sent his best wishes to col. Spaniards for this important position of responsibility in a very particular historical moment, and in continuous transformation, where the support of the Armed Force is most requested to the country, in the dominant uncertainty of the scenarios that surround us.
