In the splendid setting of the Norman Swabian Castle of Bari, in the presence of the flags and war banners of the seven regiments that make up the great digitized combat unit of the Italian Army, the commemorative ceremony of the 200th anniversary of the constitution of the Pinerolo Brigade took place.
The Chief of Staff of the Army, Corps General Pietro Serino, as the highest authority, accompanied by the commander of the southern operational forces, general of the army corps Giuseppenicola Tota, took part in the ceremony together with the highest Apulian institutional offices including the regional president Michele Emiliano, the prefect of Bari, doctor Antonia Bellomo, the mayor of Bari, as well as president of the National Association Italian Municipalities, Dr. Antonio Decaro.
The “Pinerolo”, the only fully digitalized maneuver brigade of the armed force, has projected the two centuries of history into the cybernetic space dimension; in fact, starting from 2014, the General Staff of the Army designated the unit as the body responsible for the operational testing of the Forza NEC (Network Enabled Capability) project, a joint Defense-Industry program that aims to cut down on time of communication and acquisition of information in military operations by means of new information technologies.
In recalling these 200 years of history, marked by a recent technological push and a look to the future, the head of SME, in the speech ideally addressed to all the men and women of the brigade, represented by the banners of the departments deployed, underlined: "The roots are important because we cannot project forward if we do not have solid foundations behind us and I believe that the wonderful collaboration that exists between local institutions and the Armed Force is the solid basis that allows the Pinerolo brigade to project itself in the future, joint collaborations also with the defense industry that contribute to creating this laboratory of technologies and evolution ".
President Emiliano addressed a greeting address highlighting how: "Puglia is a place where all the weapons of the Italian Army make up a framework that wants to build peace in the Mediterranean, also through an innovation that allows us to always maintain the necessary technological superiority in all operational theaters".
Brigadier General Luciano Antoci, commander of the brigade Pinerolo, during the ceremony, in emphasizing the historical evolution of the "Pinerolo", he underlined: “We are what we remember, but also what we build. The Pinerolo brigade, together with the duty to remember, today and tomorrow, is accompanied by the duty to build and to do so through technological innovation, attention to the territory and the care of the men and women who make it up. The soldiers of the Pinerolo brigade celebrate this date with pride, continuing to work with commitment and a spirit of service, faithful to the motto: "Ever more forward, ever higher".
The large unit was constituted on November 13, 1821 when the “Saluzzo” regiment, by Royal Decree, was transformed into the “Pinerolo” brigade, made up at the time of 2 regiments.
Since then, the brigade has contributed to writing the history of Italy, taking part in all the war events, from the Wars of Independence, up to the two World Conflicts and in 1952, following a series of reconfigurations, it was reconstituted as part of the Apulian territory.
Since the second post-war period, it has provided a constant contribution in terms of soldiers, means and capabilities in the rescue operations to the civilian population, in fact being awarded a Bronze Medal of Army Valor for the rescue intervention in Campania and Basilicata affected by the earthquake of 1980.
The brigade also took part in all operations carried out both on the national territory and abroad, in the context of international missions in the Balkans, Lebanon and Afghanistan. In addition, it has been constantly involved in the “Safe Roads” operation, working in support of the law enforcement agencies to increase the level of safety, fight organized crime and prevent environmental crimes.
