Yesterday, Wednesday 19 March, at the military airport of Furbara, home of the 17th raider wing and the 1st air brigade for special operations, the traditional envoy ceremony of the 9th course took place Air Force Raiders Patent (BIAM). An event full of meaning for those who have earned the right to officially enter the Air Force special forces.
The ceremony, presided over by the Undersecretary of State for Defense, the Honorable Matteo Perego di Cremnago, was attended by the Chief of Staff of the Air Force, Air Force Squadron General Luca Goretti, Admiral Paolo Pezzutti, Commander of the Joint Special Operations Command (COFS), Air Force General Giandomenico Taricco, commander of the Air Force Command Rome, the general of the team Riccardo Rinaldi, head of the role of weapons, the air brigadier general Diego Sismondini, commander of the 1st air brigade for special operations, and numerous civil and military authorities, including representatives of the other departments of the Special Forces of the Army, Navy and Carabinieri.
The protagonists of the day were the attendees of the 9th BIAM course, who after an extremely selective training path received the symbols of their new operational identity: the sand-colored beret, a legacy of the battalion. Arditi Destroyers of the Regia Aeronautica (ADRA), the first special forces unit of the Air Force, born in 1942 in Tarquinia and distinguished by its daring actions on strategic targets during the Second World War, and the dagger of the daredevil, emblem of offensive capacity and operational readiness, as well as the brevet badge, sign of entry into the operational world of the special forces.
The latter encapsulates in its iconography the very essence of the 17th Wing: the parachute represents the airdroppable nature of the unit, the globe symbolizes the ability to operate anywhere in the world, the dagger identifies the combat component, while the eagle's wings establish belonging to the Air Force.
In his speech, Colonel Michele Anelli, commander of the 17th Wing, highlighted how the path to becoming a Raider is not only a physical challenge, but also a psychological one, testing one's limits, overcoming one's fears and demonstrating extraordinary courage and resilience. The Raiders represent an elite and a family of professionals who have always stood out for their spirit of sacrifice, their dedication to service and their unshakeable attachment to the values of the Fatherland.
The Air Force Chief of Staff Goretti, during his speech, addressing the new raiders, underlined: “In a geopolitical context dominated by uncertainty and crisis situations in different parts of the world with different characteristics and specificities, you are required to be available without limitations and in situations of particular difficulty, to guarantee very high-level functions with an aeronautical connotation that constitute a relevant, decisive and indispensable component of defense, not in terms of quantity but in terms of quality, specificity and function”. He then went on to say: “In this perspective, today's enlistment ceremony does not represent a repetitive and irrelevant rite, but constitutes the tangible expression of the values that have always characterized all personnel in blue: courage, loyalty, spirit of sacrifice, very high specialist skills and a deep sense of duty. Each beret and each dagger that we have just delivered carries with it all of this.”
“Today we are not simply celebrating the end of a highly formative training course”, the Undersecretary underlined during his speech, “but the culmination of a journey of sacrifice, discipline and absolute dedication. After long months of extremely tough training, these men officially become part of the elite of the Air Force Special Forces, ready to face the most complex challenges with determination and competence. In today's world, Defense is not just a question of strength, but above all preparation, strategic vision and adaptability to ever-changing scenarios. The Italian Armed Forces stand out for their ability to operate rapidly and effectively in increasingly complex contexts, ensuring defense and security both on national soil and in international theaters of operation.”
The 17th Wing is not just an operational unit, but a reality deeply rooted in the territory, which feeds on tradition and looks to the future with determination.
As evidence of the strong synergy between the department and the territory, the mayors and representatives of the cities of Cerveteri, Ladispoli and Santa Marinella were also present at the ceremony.
The 17th Raider Wing has a clear mission: to select, train and equip Raiders to face the most complex challenges in high-risk operational contexts. Raiders are trained to conduct missions of: Special Reconnaissance (special reconnaissance); Direct Action (direct action); Military Assistance (military assistance); Hosting Release Operations (hostage release operations); Counter Terrorism Operations (counter-terrorism operations); Strategic Reconnaissance (strategic reconnaissance).
The 17th Wing has the task of selecting, forming, training and preparing the Air Force special forces (FS), i.e. the AM raiders, for operational use; guaranteeing the constant availability of operational detachments that can be promptly employed for special operations (OS) conducted both in the single service context and under the aegis of the joint command for special forces operations (COFS); ensure raiders capable of carrying out all missions common to other special forces, with which they must be completely interchangeable, integrable and interoperable, with an additional specific, fundamental and innovative task, that of integrating and synchronising air power with special operations through the orchestration of air and surface forces to provide synergic effects on a target or a series of common targets in compliance with the doctrine special operations air to land integration (SOALI).
The 17th Raider Wing depends on the 1st Air Brigade which, in turn, depends on the Air Squad Command-1st Air Region of Milan.
