In recent days, the paratroopers of the "Folgore" brigade, in command of the Italian contingent deployed in Hungary for 6 months, as part of the NATO "eVA-enhanced Vigilance Activity" mission, with leads from the 183rd "Nembo" parachute regiment of Pistoia , were relieved by the personnel of the "Aosta" brigade.
The formal TOA (Transfer of Authority) ceremony between the two contingents of the Italian Army was held in the presence of the chief of staff of the top joint operational command, division admiral Valter Zappellini.
The ceremony was attended by the Italian honorary consul in Hungary Roberto Sarcià, the commander of the 183rd parachute regiment "Nembo" Colonel Alessandro Vivarelli, the commander of combined joint operation center, Brigadier General Balázs Szloszjár, the commander of the 1st Mechanized Brigade of the Hungarian Army, Colonel István Tóth as well as, in addition to numerous local civil and military authorities, the commanders of the allied contingents part of the NATO eVA-battle group led by Hungarians.
The highest Hungarian military authorities present awarded Lieutenant Colonel Salvatore Sotgiu, transferring commander, and Lieutenant Colonel Andrea Checcucci, chief of staff of the "eVA" battlegroup, with the Hungarian medal "Honours for the Partnership".
With the ritual ceremony between Lieutenant Colonel Salvatore Sotgiu, transferor, and Lieutenant Colonel Renato Bonfiglio, successor, the personnel of the "Folgore" parachute brigade leaves the leadership of the national component inserted in one of the eight tactical groups that extend along the entire NATO's eastern flank, from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Black Sea in the south, to strengthen the deterrent posture against potential threats to defend the Euro-Atlantic spaces.
Admiral Zappellini wanted to underline the important commitment made by the men and women of the "Folgore" brigade in recent months, highlighting their particular ability to use: “From the beginning the paratroopers of the 'Folgore' have demonstrated their ability to operate in a multinational context and the feedback that the top joint operational command has had in recent months has been all positive, confirming their professionalism now known and recognized everywhere.”
The results obtained by the paratroopers of the "Folgore" brigade during the months that characterized their mandate, which began on 9 August, were significant. There are almost 200 training and exercise activities conducted, including live fire, each of which in constant cooperation and synergy with the Hungarian, American, Croatian and Turkish contingents present in Camp Croft.
Among the most important activities carried out during the mandate, the exercise of Battlegroup Adaptive Hussars, which saw deployed, in addition to the national operational quota, around 500 men and women in uniform from the Hungarian, Croatian and Turkish Armed Forces to defend the entire national territory outside the "comfort zone". In this context, for the first time in international Battlegroup exercises, the "Folgore" paratroopers conducted a tactical airdrop.
Remarkable was the logistical effort supported by the IT-NSE (Italian National Support Element), the component dedicated to logistical support, whose personnel were protagonists in the construction and maintenance of the field structures necessary for the daily life of the men and women of the contingent , in addition to the maintenance of over 100 combat vehicles of different types.
