While assuming the lead of the Carabinieri Corps I would like to express some thoughts arising from my heart.
My first respectful consideration is dedicated to the Head of State, whom I thank for the thoughtful attention constantly devoted to the Corps, thus stimulating and encouraging all of the Carabinieri.
A special greeting goes to the Chied of the Council of Ministers Professor Giuseppe CONTE, to whom I grant absolute institutional loyalty and unlimited commitment, grateful for the priviledge and trust awarded by the Government.
The wise Fathers of our Constitution, who made this country a big Republic, stated at paragraph 98 of the Constitution that the civil servants are “exclusively committed to the Nation”. Mister President, my action will be inspired by this principle, as a civil servant myself, conscious of my duty to pursue the common interest rather than individual or partial ones.
In the same feeling I hail the Ministry of Defence Hon. Lorenzo Guerini. Distinguished Minister, the Carabinieri Corps will grant the determination and willpower peculiar to your Ministry.
To the Ministry of Interior, Cons. Luciana Lamorgese, my respectful homages, thus confirming the share of intent that our cooperation experimented over the years and the assignments.
To the Capo di Stato Maggiore della Difesa (questo lo traduci tu), Generale Enzo Vecciarelli, I grant my commitment to a working style characterized by a synergic and sistemic vision constantly inspiring the lead of the Army, according to the Capi di Stato Maggiore and the Segretario generale. I thank them for them being here, testifying the shared feeling of the military population to whom the Army is connected in pursuing its institutional mission.
To the Capo della Polizia Direttore generale del Dipartimento della Pubblica Sicurezza, al Comandante generale della Guardia di Finanza e al Capo del Dipartimento dell’Amministrazione penitenziaria, I reserve my most sincere feelings of friendship and high consideration, ready to share the responsibilities that will derive from the needs for safety of the Country, with full respect for the role designed for every Institution.
I would like to join Generale Nistri in hailing the Presidents of the Commissioni Difesa del Senato della Repubblica e della Camera dei Deputati, the Directors of the Organi di informazione per la sicurezza, the representatives of the Magistrature, the Autorità civili ed ecclesiastiche, who testify the consideration reserved by the Institutions to the Army.
Such a consideration is also due to the action of my predecessors: I am deeply grateful for this to the Comandanti Generali emeriti, distinguished example of “teacher of military life” of mine and to the President of the National Association of Carabinieri, dell’Associazione Nazionale Forestali e dell’Opera Nazionale Assistenza Orfani Militari dell’Arma dei Carabinieri.
I hail the Vice Comandante Generale and Comandanti di Vertice, confident to be able to count on their qualified cooperation within a common vision of the Army.
I am now addressing all of those who are not here, in this headquarter, nevertheless for me it is as if they were: all of the Carabinieri and citizens who are watching this ceremony from the most faraway sites of the national territory on streaming, thank to the most important newspapers that I would like to thank for their cooperation. Among those, my companions of the 160° Corso dell’Accademia militare di Modena with whom in 1978 I started my service and afterwards shared, all over the time, the values of military ethic.
To the Generale Nistri my utmost gratitude for appointing me, over two years ago, as Capo di Stato Maggiore, thus allowing me to live an experience of extraordinary professional values, also due to the knowledge of the whole public apparatus I gained.
Thank you, dear Gianni, for the extraordinary example of consistency, determination and intellectual honesty I was gifted with during the last two years of hard work beside you. I wish you and your family all the best.
To the Rappresentanza Militare and to the perspective Sindacati, that will constitute a new reality, I grant my greatest attention and ask for any cooperation being aware that our dialogue will always allow us the best results for the individual health of the whole staff, true multiplier of efficiency.
Finally, I would like to share a loving look to my wife Giusy and my daughter Eleonora, for the sacrifices always faced for supporting me. I would like to think that thank to their natural semplicity they ideally represent all Carabinieri’s families
I now would like to briefly share with you my institutional vision.
I think of an Army syntethizing the culture, history and popular attitude of our Homeland and thus appreciated by the citizens, who see in it the ability to share generosity and bravery, competence and empathy. These skills are reflected outside the national borders, thus contributing to enhancing the appreciation for Italy all over the world.
Such an army is firstly expresse by the 4.900 Stazioni Carabinieri scuttered all over the peninsula, where the Comandanti work together with the Majors and the other caharcters of the social life on the territory, serving the local communities also in their need for facing public emergencies.
A military organization, peculiar component of the national instrument of defence and safety, more and more integrated, interoperative and interforce. An unicum among the Armies of allied countries and for this reason true added value of the Italian armed forces committed with the international operations of stabilization that, even more frequently, engage our Country.
A policy force with general competence fully participant to a model of coordination, always supported because capable of preserving the richness of the complex system of national public safety, whose unitary direction is given to the Ministry of Interior and locally to the Prefetti, that I thank for the concrete closeness to the varoius events occurring in our daily life.
A ductil and effect operational tool, available to the Prosecution authority to face, with method and perseverance, multiple criminal threats: from religious-rooted terrorsim to the illicit traffic also on an international scale of organized armed groups, to the subtle expressions of bribery and predatory pitfalls.
A technologically evoluted Army, that matches the undeniable central role of the human creature with the most advanced tecnhlogical applications, necessary for improving the safety level and implementing the effectiveness of the administrative action for the citizen.
An institution more and more committed with special units for ensuring the safety in all its dimensions, e.g. the protection of the environment, of the cultural heritage, of the security of workplace and of health.
Among these units I would like to recall, for its peculiarity, the high expertise of the Carabinieri forestali, nowadays constituting part of the Army, more and more committed with the bio-security and persepctively instruments of uncomparable realiabilty, available to the Government authorities for initiatives of “environmental diplomacy” in a naturally gloal sector.
I would like to address now my Carabinieri, men and women, true richness of our Istitution.
More than 40 years ago a Maresciallo unkown to me, Comandante di Stazione in my small village, offered me, with simplicity and generosity, the chance to enroll in the Army, then having me summoned by the Comandante della Compagnia, who strengthened this purpose in me.
I have to admit the when the news of my appointment as Comandante Generale reached me I immediately recalled that Comandante di Stazione, his authority and his human qualities.
Addressing you Carabinieri, I am starting from here, how I imagine the contact with the citizens made of capabilty of listening, understanding, kindness, trasnparency, but also strenght and determination.
In many years of service I found many times these attitudes in many Carabinieri. Therefore on the first day of my manadate I would like to publicly express my sincere admiration for you and particularly for the youngest of you because I know that you will have to cope with many challenges that my generation has been saved from.
The actions that the Army will have to face will be new and complex, nevertheless we look at the future with serenity to share with the citizens – through our exemplary service – social optimism and faith in the institutions.
I do not ignore the severe facts caused by the deprecable behaviour of some unfaithful Carabinieri. We must not look at the episodes with indifference, on the contrary we need to learn from the mistakes.
I felt myself deep bitterness and pain. We need to accept the critics, even the most pungent, that need to persuade us to improve ourselves in order for some depicable behaviours to be prosecuted and where possible prevented.
I am convinced and determined in saying this! The Army is and always be the place where the trust of the Italian citizens lies: it is a “cristal house” inhabited by an authentic spirit of altruism and strictness.
This involves the realiability of our institution, built over two centuries of history, accompanying the daily routine of the Italian citizens, even in the most difficult time as the ones we are living, carachterized by a senso of loss due to the pandemic.
I proudly recall that no one Carabinieri headquarter since the beginning of the sanitary emergency closed, even counting more than 7.600 infected members and 20 deads: a tribute expressing a global institutional choice, shared by the Carabinieri of any level, all conscious of the necessity to reach any citizen, in order to prevent anyone from feeling abandoned. Even in these hours, everywhere, the Carabinieri are operating, together with other Police Forces in order to have the vaccines delivered in security to all he sanitary structures.
This is the face of the Army, that any citizen knows and wants to recognizes, without which any operative result, albeit remarkable, turns into a dry narration. The operative value of the Army, indeed, cannot be measured in terms of barren statistics, on the contrary through the consideration of the citizens, definitely not countable and consequence of the ability of every Carabiniere to interpret and satisfy the most various requests for security.
This is the authenic spirit of the Army! The distinguishing features of our Institution since its origins. We look at them with no demagogy but with consistency because the history can inspire us, render us more humble and conscious of the commitments that we are engaged in fo fulfill the expectations of the Italian citizens!
For all the above said, today more than yesterday, we need unity and coesion.
To this purpose I would like to make a reflection upon the command strategy at various level.
The word authority derives from the latin word “augère”, meaning increasing. Who is invested with it has the duty to improve him or herself and those depending on his or her decisions.
Whoever is committed with a command role needs to feel the urgency to listen to his or her collaborators, in a contiuous dialogue to support enthusiasm, but also to control their behaviour, removing mistakes and reconstituing, in every single soldier and in those units as a whole, that fulfilling sens of satisfaction for having made one’s duty.
This is the strength of authority that nourishes the Institutions, deprived of any empty authoritarianism.
This is my purpose! I will be by your side and I will take care in involving you. To enrich every strategic choice with your contributions that, I already know, will be proactive and selfless. To offer you my experience , my attention, my support in our common path.
In these feelings, in the solemnity of the Flag here exposed and in the memory of our dead soldier, conscious of our duty to preserve the Army as a precious heritage of the citizens, I am starting this new challenge with the support of the Government Authorities, of my conscience and - I am sure – of my Carabinieri.
Viva l’Arma dei Carabinieri!
Viva l’Italia!
