Change at the top of the "Friuli" brigade

(To Army Majority State)
26/02/22

Yesterday, at the Mameli barracks in Bologna, in the presence of the commander of the division "Vittorio Veneto" division general Angelo Michele Ristuccia, the ceremony for the alternation of the command of the "Friuli" aircraft brigade between Brigadier General Stefano Lagorio, transferor , and Brigadier General Massimiliano Belladonna, taking over. The Banners and Labars of the Combat and Weapon Associations and some civil and military authorities of Bologna also took part in the event.

General Lagorio leaves the command of the Italian Army Unit after more than two years that have seen the "Friuli" brigade engaged in operational activities both at home and abroad.

In fact, the brigade was involved abroad in the Leonte XXX operation included in the United Nations mission "United Nation Interim Force in Lebanon" and in the national context in the "Safe Roads" operation in competition with the Police Forces, in interventions for public disasters and in the series of exercises aimed at certifying the achievement, by the dependent departments, of their full operational capacity in the conduct of personnel recovery, medical evacuation (MEDEVAC) and aircraft RAID activities on the premise of their use, such as Task Group Aircraft, in the Afghan and Iraqi Operational Theaters.

During the farewell speech, General Lagorio expressed his deep gratitude to the men and women of the "Friuli" for their daily commitment and for the extraordinary professionalism shown during the period of command, while at the same time showing his pride. General Lagorio, who will fill a new position at the command North Operating Forces in Padua, he finally wished his successor a good job. General Belladonna was the commander of the “Friuli” detachment during the use of the brigade in Lebanese territory.

General Ristuccia, in his greeting, congratulated General Lagorio for the excellent work done and underlined "How the aircraft brigade is now a valuable resource both for the very high technology of the weapon systems supplied, and for the professionalism of its staff". The ceremony also marked the passage of the brigade's dependence from the "Vittorio Veneto" division to the Army Aviation Command, commanded by Major General Andrea Di Stasio present at the ceremony, which with the acquisition of the large aircraft combat unit will become the the only command of the Army to have all the air capabilities of the Armed Forces.