A few days ago, at the "Monte Grappa" barracks, the alternation ceremony for the command of the "Taurinense" alpine brigade, during which Brigadier General Davide Scalabrin handed over command to the parigrade Nicola Piasente, who returned to Taurinense where he served until 2018 as commander of the 3rd Alpine regiment.
At the same time, the return of the men and women of the large unit of the Italian Army from the mission in Lebanon, which ended last August 4, was celebrated. Present at the ceremony were the commander of the Alpine troops, general of the army corps Claudio Berto, the highest civil and military authorities of Turin and the Labaro of theNational Alpine Association.
During the three years of his mandate, General Scalabrin led the "Taurinense" through delicate national and international commitments, largely marked by the Covid-19 pandemic. In fact, since the first stages of the emergency, the units of the brigade, as ordered by the Minister of Defense Guerini, have been involved in supporting civil institutions in numerous activities: from the transport and distribution of medical devices, to the sanitation of hospitals and homes care, from the use of medical teams in favor of the population to the realization of drive through Defense for swab sampling and setting up of vaccination centers. A commitment that led to the granting of the Silver Cross of Merit of the Army to the “Taurinense” logistic regiment.
In the international arena, starting last February, the brigade command with the regiment Nice Cavalry (1st), the "Taurinense" logistic regiment and the "Saluzzo" battalion of the 2nd alpine regiment, were employed in Lebanon as part of the UNIFIL mission, the United Nations interposition force deployed in the south of the "Land of the cedars" .
The delicate mission required an effective remodeling by the brigade for the management of the various operational activities, both in support of the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF), and in the monitoring of the ceasefire between Lebanon and Israel, even during difficult moments of crisis and instability in the entire Middle East area.
The use of Army soldiers continued in the "Safe Roads" operation in various Italian locations, to which was added support for the territory in the event of natural disasters such as the devastating fires in Abruzzo or the floods that occurred in Piedmont in the 'October 2020 which led to the "Luto" operation, where the Alpine troops of the "Taurinense" cooperated with the civil protection units of theNational Alpine Association. Specialized teams of the 32nd sapper engineering regiment have worked tirelessly in the removal of hundreds of explosive remnants of war, among which the one identified in November 2019 in via Nizza in Turin deserves mention.
Alongside operational commitments, specialty training activities continued unabated, including those related to mountain warfare, ie the ability to move and operate in a mountain environment and in particularly prohibitive climatic conditions. Complex exercises such as the “Laran 2019” and the “Maira 2020” have effectively tested the coordination and interoperability between the different specialties of the unit in a high-intensity tactical environment.
In this context, civil protection exercises such as the “Vardirex” and “Altius” were also conducted, designed to verify and constantly improve coordination between the various institutions in the event of natural disasters and accidents at high altitude.
“You have operated without savings, with availability, generosity and professionalism, in difficult and delicate contexts both abroad and at home, supporting the community whenever necessary and proving to be an effective force on which to rely fully and safely; demonstrating, in summary, in silence and with pride that we are Alpine! " Thus General Scalabrin wished to thank the men and women of the "Taurinense" in his farewell speech.
