The Army Chief of Staff, Army Corps General Pietro Serino, accompanied by the commander of the land operational forces, Army Corps General Salvatore Camporeale, was welcomed by Army Corps General Massimo Panizzi commander of theMilitary Geographical Institute (IGM).
On this occasion, confirming the excellent relations between the Armed Forces and local authorities, General Serino met the President of the Tuscany Region Eugenio Giani and the Mayor of Florence Dario Nardella.
After receiving a briefing regarding the numerous and diversified tasks for which the Institute is responsible, both for aspects of a purely military nature and for those with a civil connotation, the Army Chief of Staff met with the civilian and military personnel, valuable resource of the entire organization together with basic representation council (COBAR) and unitary trade union representation.
General Serino, in his greeting address, renewed his appreciation to the staff of the Institute underlining “the centrality and importance that this Institute has for the Armed Forces. The Army is proud to have the Military Geographic Institute and considers it, both from the point of view of cultural conservation and the operation of the military instrument, an element that cannot be done without. In the Army organization where there is the strongest presence of civilian defense personnel, I take this opportunity to thank everyone, men and women without stars, an integral part of the military institution".
The President of the Region Eugenio Giani, on the sidelines of the meeting, specified that: “the presence of the Military Geographic Institute is, for Tuscany and Florence, a source of pride and has great significance for the role that this institution has played and continues to play in terms of cartographic and geographical technique and, more generally, in the history and in culture, a role of absolute national and international significance. Here are all the references that have led, over time, to both the historical and current definition of the cartographic representation of the territory of the Italian State and the characteristics of its regions. Together with the current commander we have agreed to develop initiatives that can promote and enhance the Institute, placing it in the prestigious context that makes Florence and Tuscany a unique point of reference on a global level. Furthermore, since 2014, the IGM has also taken on the important function of territorial command of the Army for the Tuscany Region".
The mayor of Florence, Dario Nardella, wanted to comment on the event with these words: “I renew my closeness to the Military Geographic Institute, a point of reference for Florentine knowledge and an authentic pride of our City. For us the relationship with the IGM, a cultural and military institution of international level, is of fundamental importance. The synergy created over the years and the particular understanding with the current commander, who I have already had the opportunity to know and meet, lead me to think that the historic collaboration between the Municipality and IGM is destined to find an even broader and more solid dimension for the benefit of the 'entire community'.
The Military Geographic Institute has the task of providing geotopo-cartographic support to the units and commands of the Army, carrying out the functions of a state cartographic body.
