Last Friday, at the Giovannini quay, in the naval base of La Spezia, the rotation ceremony at the top of the Command of Mine Countermeasure Forces (Maricodrag), in the presence of the commander-in-chief of the naval team, Admiral Filippo Maria Foffi. In front of the units on the quay, Rear Admiral Massimo Vianello handed over the command of Maricodrag to Rear Admiral Enrico Pacioni.
Il Command of Mine Countermeasure Forces, which depends on the Command in Head of the Naval Squadron (CINCNAV), by means of the 17 ships assigned, including minesweepers, hydrographic and experience ships, carries out a fundamental activity of monitoring and mapping the seabed.
Precisely in this context, Maricodrag is engaged in multiple dual use collaborations with civil and military entities, both nationally and internationally such as, for example, the Ministry of Cultural Heritage and Activities and Tourism: as part of the agreement on conservation of underwater archaeological heritage; collaborations with environmental associations to raise awareness of respect for the sea, collaborations with universities and research institutes for the analysis, care and protection of the sea and its depths, as well as collaborations with international and NATO institutes, such as the Center for Maritime Research Experimentation (CMRE) for scientific research and technological development in the maritime sector.
Admiral Vianello, in his farewell speech, retraced the history of the mine countermeasures component "A little-known component that works on the sidelines and with means, albeit technologically advanced, small and hardly visible. However, it has a great history, as old as that of our armed force and dotted with important companies and records".
Admiral Pacioni in his inauguration speech said he was proud to take command of the mine and hydrographic countermeasures forces, talking about the morale and well-being of his men, the efficiency of the assigned means and operational capacity that must always be at the highest levels.
The ceremony was concluded by the intervention of Admiral Foffi: "Our ships are not modern, they are our hardware but nothing is done without software. Crews are the software because they must ensure continuous, safe, bug-free operation, addressing and solving problems, in every situation".
