The exercise “Gazza Ladra 2025” ended last week, one of the main activities conducted annually by the joint command for special forces operations (COFS) in the field of military operations to protect primary national interests abroad.
The scenario, based on a critical internal situation of states bordering Italy that do not belong to the Atlantic Alliance but are partners in a regional security system, involved the kidnapping of a team of Italian journalists in a Mediterranean country by a terrorist cell, supported by a hostile third state with the aim of overthrowing the local government.
The COFS, already engaged with NATO in the role of framework command of the special operations component command (SOCC), found itself having to face the crisis by making use of all the special forces departments and the national fixed and rotary wing flight assets, implementing for the first time the most complex hypothesis foreseen by the contingency plan called "Rapido" and verifying the capacity to project and deploy an intervention force far from the stationary headquarters.
Having obtained political authorization to deploy a task force in a forward operating base in the country where the kidnapping took place, through information exchanges with the crisis unit of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, with national security agencies and with simulated local authorities, the COFS planned and conducted a complex operation on multiple objectives in about ten days. Among the assets, a negotiator from the Carabinieri GIS was also included to negotiate with the leader of the kidnappers, who had asked for the release of a prisoner in Italy in exchange for the life of the hostages.
The exercise involved several Italian Air Force bases on the national territory, including Rome, Pisa, Poggio Renatico, Grazzanise as the main location for the deployment of intervention forces, Amendola and Gioia del Colle as advanced intermediate bases, Jacotenente and Martina Franca as target areas. At the department level, the following participated: the raiders of the 17th wing of Furbara; pilots and flight crews of the 9th wing of Grazzanise with HH-101 helicopters; personnel and C-130J and C-27J assets of the 46th air brigade of Pisa; personnel of the 3rd wing of Villafranca for ALARP (Air Landed Aircraft Refueling Point) activities; personnel of the 16th wing "Force Protection" of Martina Franca with role player and opposition forces tasks; an APR MQ-9 asset of the 32nd wing of Amendola.
Also involved were the raiders of the 9th paratrooper assault regiment "Col Moschin", of the operational raiders group of the navy and of the special intervention group of the Carabinieri, integrated by units of the 4th "Ranger" regiment, of the 185th reconnaissance and target acquisition regiment and of the 1st paratrooper carabinieri regiment "Tuscania".
A total of fourteen fixed-wing and rotary-wing aircraft were employed for operational support, including: an MQ-9 with ISR functions from the 32nd Wing of Amendola; a C-130J and a C-27J from the 46th Air Brigade of Pisa; seven HH-101 helicopters from the 9th Wing of Grazzanise; two CH-47Fs and a UH-90 from the 3rd REOS of the army of Viterbo; an SH-90 from the REA of the navy of Luni.
The decisive action for the liberation of the hostages and the neutralization of several groups of terrorists, represented by soldiers of the 16th wing of Martina Franca deployed as OPFOR, saw the presence of the undersecretary of state for defense, the Hon. Matteo Perego di Cremnago and the commander of the covi, general of the army corps Giovanni Maria Iannucci. Both, accompanied by the commander of the COFS, admiral Paolo Pezzutti, boarded a C-27J to assist in the on-board stabilization activities of a very seriously injured person by a SORT (Special Operations Resuscitation Team), composed of an anesthetist-resuscitator doctor and two military rescuers of the special forces, qualified through specialist courses in the US
During the exercise, the authorities visited the 9th Wing of Grazzanise. On that occasion, to seal the bond between the COFS and the special operations sector of the Air Force, the COFS commander met the commander of the 9th Wing, Colonel Salvatore Florio.
The 1st Special Operations Air Brigade (BAOS) of the Air Force ensures the qualification, training, specialization and preparation of the special forces (incursori) and the air support forces for special operations (SAOS), guaranteeing the constant updating, standardization and interoperability of tactics, techniques and procedures at the armed forces, joint, interagency and international levels. Furthermore, it is responsible for preparing a structure of joint special operations air task group (JSOATG) highly specialized and ready for exercises and operations. The 1th Stormo Incursori of Furbara and the 17th Stormo of Grazzanise depend on the 9st baos. The brigade depends hierarchically on the command of the air team-1st air region of Milan. The special operations sector (comos) AM maintains a technical connection with the joint command for the operations of the special forces (COFS).
