Afghanistan: change to the JATF Command

19/05/15

In recent days, at the Herat airport, the change ceremony was held at the head of the Joint Air Task Force (JATF), between Colonel Paolo Latini and Colonel Raffaele La Montagna.

Colonel Latini, in the six months of command, straddling the transition from the mission from ISAF (International Security Assistance Force) to RS (Resolute Support), defined the new operational and order structure of the JATF in order to make it more consistent with the new needs operations of RS, orienting it on the management of airport functions, partially inherited from the Spanish-led FSB (Forward Support Base), which closed on 31 December 2014.

Colonel Latini thanked the staff of JATF for self-denial and deep dedication to the service shown, expressing their "profound gratitude".

In his farewell address, the colonel underlined how his collaborators "were able to give their best by demonstrating stringent cohesion and very high motivation, ensuring the level of excellence needed to face new challenges, in a multinational context, far from their families" .

Colonel La Montagna, in assuming command of the JATF, said he was proud to inherit an efficient and perfectly integrated reality in the operational dynamics of the TAAC-W, declaring: "[...] we will continue to operate without saving energy and with professionalism and the competence that distinguishes us and that is recognized both at home and abroad ".

General Risi, commander of the TAAC W, in greeting Colonel Latini and welcoming Colonel La Montagna, addressed these staff to the following words: "I continue to appreciate the high professionalism and the high competence with which you operate daily in the managing the very difficult airport reality of Herat. You do it with competence and passion, interacting and cooperating with the other international TAAC-W teams with a very high level of country love and a common purpose ".

The Joint Air Task Force (JATF), established on 1 June 2007, currently has about 60 military personnel from the Italian Air Force and has the task of managing the 5 essential airport functions (Safety Management Office, Fire Fighter Service, Air Traffic Control, Weather Service and Communication, Navaids Surveillance System).