On Thursday 29 June, at the "Luigi Olivari" military airport in Ghedi, the handover ceremony took place at the command of the 6th wing of the Air Force, between Colonel Giacomo Lacaita, outgoing commander, and Colonel Luca Giuseppe Vitaliti, acting commander.
The event was presided over by the Air Division General Luigi Del Bene, commander of the combat forces stationed in Milan, in the presence of the main civil, military and religious authorities of the Lombardy province, including the prefect of the city of Brescia, Dr. Maria Rosaria Laganà, and the mayors of the municipalities of Ghedi, Castenedolo, Borgosatollo, Montirone and Desenzano del Garda.
In front of the Honor Guard, the "Red Devils" deployed, the civilian personnel, the Gonfalons of the City of Ghedi, of the city of Brescia, decorated with a silver medal for military valor, of the province of Brescia, of the Labarum of the Blue Ribbon and of the Labari of the Fighting and Armed Associations, the ceremony reached its most evocative and symbolic moment with the delivery of the War Flag of the 6th wing between the two commanders, together with the pronunciation of the recognition formula for the assumption of the assignment.
“Before anything else, I wish to address a deferential greeting to the War Flag of the 6th Wing, custodian of the sacred values of the department, witness to the sacrifice of the Red Devils who, over time, in peace and in war, have given the homeland the their most precious asset, keeping faith to the end of the oath taken", with these words Colonel Lacaita introduced the farewell speech. "Decommissioning of the Tornado aircraft, transition to the F-35, infrastructural renewal and optimization of operations safety, these were the four guidelines on which I set my command action and, I am sure, they will be the development lines of the Department in the next years", he continued after thanking the staff of the Wing for the commendable professionalism shown.
Afterwards, Colonel Vitaliti, in his inauguration speech, thanked the superior authorities for the prestigious task entrusted to him: "I will make the utmost and unconditional commitment and I will give all of myself to live up to my duties". Then, in underlining the foresight with which the Air Force is facing threats and scenarios of the future, he continued by highlighting how “The transformation underway represents a great challenge also from an organizational and human point of view. The F-35 is a real force multiplier, but the quantum leap in capability it allows can be fully expressed only if supported by the broadening of the spectrum of personnel knowledge and skills and by a reorganization which, by leveraging quality of the weapon system, is characterized by high flexibility, efficiency and sustainability".
At the end of the speeches, General Del Bene, after greeting the authorities and the guests who attended, expressed his appreciation of the work done by Colonel Lacaita: "...as commander I think you have excellently interpreted your role with pride, firmness, but also with balance and humility, through an effective and inclusive action, in successfully seeking the completion of the multiple tasks and objectives assigned". He then gave Ghedi a welcome to Colonel Vitaliti, inviting him to embark on this new adventure with enthusiasm and passion in the awareness that: “…thanks to his skills, experience and motivation, known to me, you will be able to meet the challenges of the new position with enthusiasm and lead the Diavoli Rossi to ever greater successes”. In conclusion, addressing the staff of the department, he added: “…to you, women and men of the 6th Wing, lined up today as witnesses of the symbolic passage of the War Flag between the two Commanders, I address a thought of sincere gratitude: you have done your utmost, at home and abroad, to absolve the onerous tasks assigned, always acting with enthusiasm, generosity and great professionalism, carrying on the tradition of excellence of this glorious flock and its DNA. That of the Diavoli Rossi is a DNA made of hard work in silence, of great sacrifice, of few words but of concrete facts, of results rather than form.”
The 6th Stormo “Alfredo Fusco” has the task of acquiring and maintaining the capability to carry out attack operations, reconnaissance and support to surface forces, electronic reconnaissance and support to strike forces against targets related to forces and potential enemies.
Guarantee the operational reconversion and standardization activity of the flight crews assigned to the Tornado IDS/ECR line for their subsequent inclusion in the Operational Directions.
It depends hierarchically command combat forces (CFC) based in Milan, in turn employed by command of the air squad (CSA) based in Palazzo Aeronautica in Rome.
