It took place this morning in Pozzuoli, at the Air Force Academy, in the presence of the Undersecretary of State for Defense, the Hon. Matteo Perego of Cremnago, the traditional inauguration ceremony of the 2023-2024 Academic Year of the Air Force Training Institutes.
The event, which was attended by the Chief of Staff of the Air Force, Air Team General Luca Goretti and numerous civil and military authorities, opened with a speech by the Commander of the Schools and the 3rd Air Region, Team General aerial Silvano Frigerio, who after a brief introduction on the main activities completed in the last Academic Year, wanted to highlight the most significant future projects and objectives in the field of training and selection.
“We have the desire to access unexplored dimensions and environments, a propensity that has always distinguished our work and which today, with increasingly innovative technological solutions, continues to guide the spirit and ambition of the Arma Azzurra”, declared General Frigerio in his introductory speech. “And if in the first 100 years of our history we have 'conquered' the air environment with passion and competence, the near future will see us capitalize on our specificity also in the space domain, to continue the growth of identity and capacity of the Air Force as an indispensable component of the national Military Instrument and as a research engine for the country's technological and scientific innovation. There are many innovative training courses and activities recently undertaken to keep up with the best Italian universities, in order to maintain a high quality standard of staff. Make your own that heritage of values, history and traditions that have always distinguished the men and women of the Air Force – added the general, addressing the young attendees – and remember that we have selected you from among the best young people in the nation and we are training you to serve it with passion, dedication, loyalty, courage and competence".
Budgets and numbers. In the 2022/2023 Academic Year, a total of 7614 visitors passed through the training institutes and schools of the Air Force, of which 147 were foreign students. In particular, 161 Officers and Marshals obtained a 1st level degree, while 88 officers completed their studies with a master's degree. 58 officers, of which 14 foreigners, obtained the military pilot's license at flight schools in Italy and abroad, while 84 attending students - of which 18 from other armed forces and state armed forces and 13 foreigners - obtained the airplane pilot's license; 3 officer cadets obtained the airplane navigator license; 15 students attending other armed forces and armed forces of the State obtained the military helicopter pilot license, while 8 helicopter pilot licenses were issued to Fire Brigade and State Police personnel. Finally, 91 captains obtained the 2nd level Master's degree in Leadership and strategic analysis and 35 students graduated from the “Giulio Dohuet” Air Force Military School.
Following this, as per tradition, a series of prizes were awarded to students and attendees who distinguished themselves in the last academic year. In particular, the "Giulio Douhet Honorary Plaque" was awarded to the student of the Air Force Secondary Education Institute who, at the end of the first two years of attendance, achieved the highest overall merit score. in scholastic achievement and military aptitude, the "Certificate of Merit of the Air Force Pioneers Association", established by the Association to give merit and prominence to aeronautical papers, written by young students of the Air Force Training Institutes, the “Annual Award for military aptitude in the Academies”, established by the Military Order of Italy in 1996 and intended for students of all the Military Academies who distinguished themselves in military aptitude at the end of the 2nd year of the course, the “Tosi Award ", established by the National Association of Families of the Fallen and Mutilated of the Air Force and awarded to the reserve pilots, who have distinguished themselves for their military aptitude and in flying activity, the "Bronze Certificate of Merit of the Sacred Military Order Costantinian of San Giorgio" awarded to a student of the 2nd class of the Academy's regular courses who has particularly distinguished himself, due to his propensity and behavior, in charitable and welfare initiatives, in line with the inspiring principles of the Sacred Militia. The "Daga of Honour" went to the student marshal who attends the degree course foreseen for the non-healthcare categories, first classified in the final ranking of the Course, at the end of the third academic year, the "Plate of Honour" to non-health attendants sailors who during the first three years of the regular course have remained first in the ranking of their respective role, the "Saber of Honour" to the student pilot who has maintained the position of course leader during the three years of the Regular Course.
To conclude, the "Douhet-Mitchell Prize" was also awarded, established jointly between the Institute of Aeronautical Military Sciences and the Air War College, on the initiative of "the Organization of the sons of Italy in America", awarded to one or more frequent visitors, whose works have provided a significant contribution of thought and critical discussion for the progress of military and aerospace aviation in their country, and the "Icaro Merit Plaque", awarded to the 15th Wing of the Air Force for having profoundly contributed to strengthening the prestige, image and role of the Armed Forces as a valuable resource of the country.
General Goretti then took the floor and wanted to underline how “these new generations, who constitute the new lifeblood of the Armed Force, will have to deal with increasingly uncertain and complex geopolitical scenarios, which will determine new operational areas, new frontiers to defend, which go beyond the traditional ones constituted by the land, naval and aerospace to expand towards the space sector, as a natural continuation of the aeronautical environment, in addition to the cybernetic and cognitive ones".
Addressing the young attendees directly, he then added: “always be aware of your skills and knowledge, which at the end of the courses you are about to start will certainly be richer, more integrated and expanded with multiple aeronautical references. Be curious and ready to analyze the events of the past with a critical spirit and open-mindedness to understand and effectively deal with the changes that arise. Share your experiences with those who can give you advice and qualified support, always referring to those who preceded you. Always be hungry for culture, because as our President of the Republic says, it is an engine of growth, a push towards openness, a multiplier of civil energy. It is an opportunity for discussion, respect for other people's diversity, and a search for innovation."
At the end of his speech, the Chief of Staff declared the 2023/2024 Academic Year of the Air Force Training Institutes open.
Following this, the commander of the Air Force Academy, general of the air division Luigi Casali, introduced the speeches of the brigadier general of the aeronautical medical corps Emanuele Garzia and of the cap. Giovanni Marfia, respectively director and medical officer of the Institute of Aerospace Medicine of Milan, who held speeches on the topic of technological and methodological evolution in Aeronautical and Space Medicine, with a focus on the CeMATA project (Aerospace Medicine Center for Advanced Therapies).
The ceremony concluded with the speech of the Undersecretary of State for Defense, the Hon. Matteo Perego from Cremnago, who particularly underlined how relevant they are “the numbers of activities completed in the previous academic year, the year of the Centenary of the Air Force. I was struck, in particular, by the number of personnel from the armed forces of other countries: more than 700 foreign students from 36 countries have trained at the Air Force Academy from 1928 to today. This form of cooperation has a very high value, which goes beyond the training aspect and allows the development of mutual knowledge between different cultures, favoring the creation and consolidation of important interpersonal relationships that characterize the Italian approach in international missions. We are in a very delicate historical moment – added the undersecretary – in the midst of devastating wars that are making the international geopolitical scenario increasingly difficult, delicate and vulnerable, and seeing that so many young people want to pursue a military career and are applying to join the Air Force, gives me sincere optimism about the future of our country. The near future will see the Air Force capitalize on its specificity also in the space domain to continue the growth of capacity as an indispensable component of the national military instrument and as a research engine in the technological and scientific innovation of the country. It is therefore important to continue to invest in leadership and interact with the national industry also in training, as occurred in the case of advanced flight training using the T-346A aircraft for the preparation of future pilots of 4th and 5th generation aircraft ”.
The Air Force Academy depends on the command of the Air Force Schools/3rd Air Region. It is a military institute of higher education of a university nature which has the task of providing for the recruitment and training of young people who aspire to become officers of the Air Force. By attending the regular courses of the Academy you can become a second lieutenant in permanent active service of the Air Force, in the normal role of navigators (pilots) and in the normal role of the weapons, of the aeronautical engineers, of the aeronautical commissary corps and of the aeronautical medical corps. Courses are also held at the Institute for officer students (supplementary pilots and fixed pilots) and directly appointed second lieutenants (both for the normal role and the special role); finally, in the Academy's study plan, specialist aeronautical courses are foreseen for foreign personnel and other armed forces.
