Change at the top of the Army, General Serino takes over from the Parigrade Farina

(To Army Majority State)
26/02/21

The general of the army corps Pietro Serino today collects the baton from the general of the army corps Salvatore Farina in the post of chief of staff of the Army. The handover ceremony took place this morning in the courtyard of honor of the Army Palace, in full compliance with the regulations in force for the contrast and containment of COVID 19.

In the morning the homage to the chapel of the Unknown Soldier with the deposition of a laurel wreath at the Altare della Patria, a sign of respectful memory of the fallen of all wars.

The passage of the Army War Flag between the Army Corps General Pietro Serino and the Parigrade Salvatore Farina officially sanctioned the alternation of the Army Chief of Staff in the presence of the Defense Minister, Honorable Lorenzo Guerini, of the President of the IV Standing Committee (Defense) in the Senate, Senator Roberta Pinotti, the President of the IV Standing Committee (Defense) in the Chamber, Honorable Gianluca Rizzo, the Chief of Defense Staff, General Enzo Vecciarelli and many other military, civil and religious.

After thanking all the defendants, in particular the Minister of Defense and the Chief of Staff of Defense for having always supported and accepted the proposals of the Armed Force, General Farina, at the end of his long career, addressed his thoughts to all women and men of the Army: It is only thanks to you, commanders, non-commissioned officers, graduates, troop volunteers and civilian personnel, if the Army is able to fully carry out the many tasks assigned. You are the undisputed protagonists.

Tasks that are carried out despite the Covid-19 pandemic which saw the Army - naturally, together with the other Armed Forces and Institutions in the country - always ready, relevant and capable, and that is why I am truly grateful to all women and men of the Army, who are always committed to the service of the country and our fellow citizens, working with the people and among the people, both at home and beyond national borders. Thank you so much!

In recent years I have seen a healthy, capable and ready institution, which has consolidated day by day the three fundamental pillars which are the backbone of the Army: continuity in values ​​and traditions, cohesion and change.

When the opportunity arises to meet you tomorrow, I will be happy to hear you say: “We are always there”. I will answer: "more, together!"

General Serino, coming from the cabinet of the Minister of Defense, addressed a first thought to the War Flag of the Army, guardian of the values ​​that have always guided the members of the Armed Force, the Fallen and the wounded comrades in the fulfillment of duty. "I am about to face this mandate of mine, aware of the commitment that it entails and a convinced supporter of the role that the Army must play within an operationally and structurally integrated and cohesive joint system ... which represents the only effective response to complex challenges that the country is facing today and will face even more tomorrow ".

Thanking General Farina for what he has done in the past 3 years at the helm of the Army, he addressed him with these words: "It is not the first time, dear Salvatore, that I have collected your inheritance and I know well the value of your work, your commitment and your dedication".

"We, men and women of the Army", concluded the new head of SME, “We are and must feel ourselves a symbol and substance of our democracy. We are the Army of the citizens, the Army of the Italians ".

The Chief of Defense Staff, General Enzo Vecciarelli, thanking the Army Corps General Salvatore Farina for the precious collaboration constantly based on the search for synergies and collaborations from an inter-force perspective, highlighted: "The Army, working alongside the other Armed Forces, has made its excellence, its organizational capacity, its structures, know-how and professionalism available to the national health system".

Addressing General Serino, the head of SMD underlined the delicacy of the position assumed in a period full of challenges in which "the country needs the professionalism, dedication and sense of duty that distinguish the Army and the Armed Forces".

Following, in his speech, Minister Guerini declared. "It is a great honor for me to preside over this rotation at the top of an institution which, together with the other components of the Dicastery, represents a real pillar in the architecture of national defense, as well as a component of absolute importance in the context of the contribution that our Country guarantees international security, within the framework of missions that see us engaged abroad ".

Addressing in particular to General Farina, the minister added: "At the helm of the Armed Force you have lived, together with your women and men, intense years, of profound changes, of far-sighted choices, in step with the times, which you have always made with genuine and sincere dedication, intelligence and a sense of duty, at the service of the country, inspired by the principles of transparency and openness to inter-force integration, in order to implement the process of transformation of the Terrestrial Military Instrument. Choices that have allowed the Army to confirm itself as a very precious resource for Defense, fundamental for the security of the country and for the contribution made to international stability ".

"I am convinced", concluded Guerini, “That General Serino, to whom I wish to address, will be able to continue on the path traced, projecting the Army towards ever greater successes and satisfactions. Today you are taking over the leadership of the Army in a historical period in which, as we well know, profound changes have matured in our society and in international scenarios, in which we must face up to new challenges and emerging risks. A context marked, at the same time, by important results achieved in the direction of ever greater cooperation between States, both within the Union and within NATO, in which our country has conquered a position of absolute centrality and credibility ".

The Army is now engaged on several fronts: that of the health emergency in which it has actively supported the National Health Service by providing facilities such as the '' Celio 'Military Polyclinic, the Military Hospital Center of Milan, the Campo Hospitals, laboratories, health task forces and the numerous Drive Throughs deployed within the "Igea" Operation; that of safety, in which the device of Operation "Safe Roads", which assisted the application and control of containment measures of the pandemic, has grown further, reaching almost 8.000 units; that of operations beyond national borders, where there are about 4.000 soldiers deployed in 15 different countries such as Iraq, Lebanon, Afghanistan, Kosovo, Libya, Somalia and Mali with tasks that they range from cooperation to development and support for stabilization and reconstruction processes, to training local security forces.
A 360 ° commitment that of the Army represents the clear confirmation of a ready, capable and cohesive institution, which over the centuries, always with the highest dedication and enthusiasm, has worked hard for Defense, Security and the good of all Country.

General Serino: “We, men and women of the Army, are and must feel the symbol and substance of our Democracy. We are the Army of the citizens, the Army of the Italians ".