Finally the Air Force sits from today on the highest step of the defense department, General Enzo Vecciarelli has replaced General Claudio Graziano who will take on the prestigious position of President of the Military Committee at the European Union.
In the presence of the President of the Republic, Sergio Mattarella, the Vice-President of the Chamber, Mara Carfagna and the Minister of Defense, Elisabetta Trenta, the awaited rotation ceremony took place at the 31st Wing of Ciampino. Also present were former defense ministers Roberta Pinotti and Admiral Giampaolo Di Paola.
Defense Minister Elisabetta Trenta
"In recent years we have seen the Armed Forces play an increasingly important role in the life of the country, they have built a wealth of credibility, experience and ability, both in front of national and international public opinion, which we must preserve in all the ways and today - the minister continued - are increasingly committed to overseeing the internal and external security of the country, for the good of the citizens ".
The words of General Claudio Graziano
"Italy is a country of reference for the NATO and an active member for United Nations and this role puts us in a position to participate as protagonists in all the mechanisms and projects of interest that develop in the international arena my experience as Chief of Defense Staff leaves me, above all, a firm awareness: that of having had the privilege of leading the best soldiers in the world on the field. This is why I am grateful to the Institutions that allowed me to experience this intense and exciting journey, studded with professional and moral satisfactions, but also of moments of concern, in which I was called to take demanding choices that could put at risk the safety or the life itself of mine militar. I have always done this by looking at the good of the Fatherland - in line with the assigned missions and with the directives of the Political Authority - and with the conscious certainty of being able to count on the best available capital, the human, "center of gravity" of the Forces Armed. To it must be dedicated all our efforts and all our attention, without demagogy, without ulterior motives, knowing that even in this moment, somewhere in the earth, a man or a woman with the Tricolor sewn on the uniform and on the skin is operating in arms, to protect the weak and to protect national interests. In the last thirty years Italy has gained prestige and credibility thanks to the effectiveness of the use of its Armed Forces ".
Thus the General Vecciarelli
"I intend to continue to invest in the human element, relying above all on the strength of ideas, driven by innovation that comes from below. We must be able to grasp the new without fear, have the courage to stigmatize old ideological preconceptions but also remove obsolete habits and sclerotic status-quo placing me ideally in front of each of my men and women and before each Italian citizen I pledge to profuse all my resources physical, moral and intellectual to fulfill the constitutional duties ".
General Vecciarelli, new Chief of Defense Staff, responsible for the technical-operational area of Defense and the use of national military instrument, will be at the helm of about 180.000 men and women of the Armed Forces, daily employed in operations, in Italy and abroad in 40 missions conducted in 24 countries / geographical areas. This commitment is aimed at facing the security challenges coming from two arcs of crisis and instability: one in the south, which from the Middle East invests the North African shore and the sub-Saharan belt and one in the east, which from the Baltic embraces the Black Sea and the Eastern Mediterranean.