26/06/2015 - Wednesday 17 June at Palazzo Aeronautica, Air Brigadier General Sandro Sampaoli handed over the command of the 9th ISTAR-EW Air Brigade (Intelligence, Surveillance, Target Acquisition, Recognaissance - Electronic Warfare) of Pratica di Pratica to the Air Brigade General Paolo Cuppone Mare, in the presence of the high superordinate commander, air squad general Maurizio Lodovisi.
The greeting, organized at the office of the commander of the air team, was the opportunity for a brief but significant meeting during which General Lodovisi expressed general applause to general Sampaoli, outgoing commander, for the excellent results achieved by the Brigade during his command period. Words of great appreciation were also spent on the professionalism demonstrated in the daily life by the staff of 9ª BA, engaged in conducting operational, informational and support activities in the ISTAR-EW sector, as delicate as strategic for the Armed Forces, also in support of the joint force , ally and coalition.
General Lodovisi forwarded words of full satisfaction for the efforts made and an incitement to continue to achieve increasingly ambitious goals, assuring General Cuppone his utmost esteem and confidence in his command action, aware that the current and new operational commitments, national and international, will increasingly require a qualified cognitive contribution in the specific sector.
General Sampaoli from 24 June will serve at SHAPE (Supreme Headquarters Allied Power Europe) as "Deputy Commander / Chief of Staff" of the NATO CIS Group.
The mission of the 9ª Air Brigade is to conduct operational, informational and support activities in the sectors Intelligence, Surveillance, Target Acquisition and Reconnaissance (ISTAR) ed Electronic Warfare (EW), by virtue of the powers assigned, also in support of the inter-force, allied and coalition component. This must also ensure the achievement and maintenance of the operational readiness of the dependent Departments, ensuring the operational efficiency of the systems supplied, the standardization and training of personnel.
The establishment of the 9ª Air Brigade is part of the review and optimization framework for the ISTAR-EW activities, with the aim of implementing coordination in the training, exercise and operational areas of the ISTAR - EW assets of the Air Force, in order to provide adequate information support in terms of products readily available in the quality, quantity and timing required by operational users.
Pig iron: Air Squad Command - 9ª ISTAR Brigade - EW - c