On Thursday 3 September, at the headquarters of the 16 ° Stormo "Protection of the Forces" of the Air Force in Martina Franca (Ta), the ceremony for the change of command of the Department took place between Colonel Andrea Marradi and the incoming commander, Colonel Giorgio Piccirillo.
The "handover" was chaired by the commander of the 1st "Special Operations" Air Brigade of Cervia (RA), air brigadier general Francesco Saverio Agresti who, as part of the ceremony, witnessed the exchange of the "glorious" flag war of the 16th Wing among the commanders. The event was also attended by the prefect of Taranto dr. Umberto Guidato, the mayor of the municipality of Martina Franca (TA), as well as the highest civil, military and religious authorities of the local and neighboring municipalities.
General Agresti in the course of his speech said: "The 16 ° Stormo is a splendid reality of the Armed Force that has been guaranteeing for years a constant, operationally relevant and substantial contribution, nowadays indispensable in the current crisis scenarios to allow an effective and undisputed of the aerial instrument ".
Colonel Marradi, during his farewell speech, thanked all the staff of the Stormo for their professionalism and their commitment, which together allowed "[...] to finalize the activities of the Department to achieve the objectives awarded both nationally and internationally ". He then expressed his heartfelt thanks to the citizens of Martina Franca which for over 50 years has hosted the Azzurra team in its territory, for “[...] the costly demonstration of esteem shown towards the Air Force and in particular the Stormo”.
The new commander Colonel Piccirillo, after having greeted the authorities present, expressed pride and satisfaction for the trust placed in him by the Air Force for the conferment of this prestigious post. He then turned his thoughts to the 16 ° Stormo staff who represent "a reality characterized by high skills and strong professionalism which, with constant commitment and unconditional self-denial, has achieved excellent results", every time the Armed Force has requested it. 'use. During his speech he then recalled the cardinal principles on which the Departments and personnel of the Air Force are based: Ethics, Passion and Competence which, when accompanied by humility, example and respect for people, create virtuous effects pervasive, at all levels, guiding us both in large and small choices.
The 16th Wing "Protection of the Forces", established on May 25, 2004 in three distinct geographical areas in the Municipality of Martina Franca, guarantees the safety and protection of personnel, vehicles and materials, as well as installations and infrastructures of particular interest for the FA, nationally and internationally. The 16 ° Stormo was present for about 10 years in Afghanistan with a team of Air Riflemen, in the context of the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) operation, ensuring the Force Protection of the Forward Support Base (FSB) in Herat.
In recent years, the Fusiliers of the Air have acquired new operational capabilities, including Forward Air Controller (FAC), which allows the coordination from the ground of the aircraft used in close air support.
With the assignment by the FA of the mini Remotely Piloted Aircraft (APR) STRIX-C, the Riflemen of the Air have enriched the range of missions assigned, thus ensuring the Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaisance (ISR) capacity to support the activity on patrol.
