The course ended on 7 June Command & Staff College AY 16-17 at the University of the US Marine Corps in Quantico, Virginia, with the important graduation ceremony in the presence of the commander of the Marine Corps, gen. Robert Neller.
Lieutenant Commander (ANF) Fabio Di Felice of the Navy's Amphibious Forces Command (COMFORANF) successfully closed his experience by graduating with his 273 American and international colleagues. Commander Di Felice also received the Distinguished Graduate Award, the coveted recognition assigned to the few students (less than 15%) who particularly distinguished themselves for the general results achieved in terms of didactic evaluations, leadership qualities and sports performance.
Il Command & Staff College is a ten-month course reserved for officers of the rank of major or lieutenant captain which aims to educate and train visitors in all the fundamental activities to be "critical thinkers, innovative problem solvers, and ethical leaders", for then be employed in command and staff positions within their own armed force, within the scope joint, inter-agency and multinational, in operational environments characterized by high complexity and uncertainty.
Lieutenant Captain Di Felice, during his course period, also obtained a master's degree in Military Studies at the same University of the Marine Corps, defending the thesis entitled "From the Falklands (1982), implications for the 21st century Marine Air Groung Task Force (MAGTF) Operations ", using the case study of the Falklands War for the study of the new operational concepts and doctrine of the Marine Corps in the field of amphibious operations.
