The Italian Air Force was founded as an independent service on 28th March 1923, and after few months, on November 5th, the Air Force Academy was established in Livorno in the same building of the ltalian Naval Academy.
From 1926 through 1943 the Academy was housed in Caserta, in a baroque royal palace of the 18th century: that's where the italian pilots of the 2nd world war were trained.
In August of 1943, the Academy was moved to Forlì just for 1 month: in fact on September 10th all courses were sospended due to the signature of armistice.
On November 7th of the same year, the Academy was relocated in Brindisi and all courses were reactivated.
On November 1945, the Academy was established on the lsland of Nisida in Naples bay.
In December 1961 the Academy finally moved to its current location, in Pozzuoli.
The Air Force Academy is the major training institution of the ltalian Air Force, where ITAF Officers are trained and educated.
The main objective is to buiId the air force future commanders recruiting the best civilians who have the highest potential providing them with skills, knowledge, training and values so enabling young cadets to become effective leaders.
Classes’ names were chosen referring to birds, planets, winds and constellations. Every year a new class is formed and every course is named following an alphabetic order, using the same name with a progressive roman number in a recurrent sequence: every 19 years a new generation comes.
Major General Enrico DEGNI was born on the 20th of September 1965 in Sora (Frosinone) Italy. He is married to Amelia Ricci and has a daughter, Elena.
He joined the Air force Academy in 1984 and graduated in 1988 with the rank of Second Lieutenant.
Following his graduation he was trained as a W.S.O. (Weapon System Officer) in the United States, where he attended the UNT (Undergraduate Navigator Training) at Mather AFB and “WSO Lead in Fighter Training” at Holloman AFB.
From 1990 to 2004, after the completion of the conversion course on the PA 200 TORNADO Multi Role Attack Aircraft in Cottesmore (UK), he served in the 50th Wing and in the 32nd Wing of the German Air Force’ as an exchange Officer, flying for more than 2500 hours and participating in air operations across Bosnia and Kosovo and being qualified as Weapon Instructor and Electronic Warfare Officer.
In 2004, after being promoted to the rank of Colonel, he was assigned to the Air Staff – Logistic Department, in charge of the Mid Life Update Programmes of Tornado and AM-X attack aircraft.
From 2009 to 2011 he went back to an operational unit as a Wing Commander.
In 2011 he joined the Air Staff again in the Planning Department, as Head of the General Planning and Transformation Branch.
From 2012 to 2015 he was assigned to NATO HQ as Head of the Resource Branch in the Italian Delegation and RPPB (Resource Policy and Planning Board) representative.
From August 2015 to September 2017 he was assigned to the National Armaments Directorate as Deputy Director of the 4th Department – Armament Programs Coordination.
In September 2017 he was appointed Commander of Italian Air Force Academy in Pozzuoli, Naples.
Academic Career
During the training, cadets have the opportunity to improve and increase their professionalism and expertise in three different areas: leadership, management and aerospace skills.
These objectives are achieved through 5 years classes, during which cadets are provided with university education (Master Degree) and military training, including combat oriented sport activity.
They also attend a series of different modules and activities to enhance their professional skills. Pilots earn first level flight licenses, while generai duty officers, engineers, lawyers and doctors attend specialization courses and on job trainings.
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In 1993 the European Air Chiefs Conference (EURAC) was established with the main objective finding new methods of study and co-operation among European Air Forces – within and out of NATO. In this context a considerable importance has been given for a common vision in the ways of education and formation of future officers
Consequently the European Air Force Academies (EUAFA) Commanders’ Conference has been established as a forum of experts in order to exchange information, co-operate and identify areas of common interest to carry out activities, with the largest possible participation of all the member nations, in the field of officer education and training.
EUAFA mission is to encourage mutual education through the sharing of information on officer training by promoting academic and military exchanges concerning cadet and instructor training.
The (EUAFA) Commandants’ Conference comprises of the Commandants of the Air Force Academies of the following European countries:
AUSTRIA, BELGIUM, CZECH REPUBLIK, DENMARK, FINLAND, FRANCE, GERMANY, GREECE, HUNGARY, IRELAND, ITALY, NETHERLANDS, NORWAY, POLAND, PORTUGAL, ROMANIA, SPAIN, SWEDEN, SWITZERLAND, TURKEY, UNITED KINGDOM.
The members of the conference annually elect a Chairman, who is responsible for the preparation of the meetings and who acts as Point of Contact (POC) for all members.
The Chairman, who is appointed for one year for the period between two Commandants’ Conferences, is the Commandant (or his representative) of the Academy that is designated to host the conference at the end of his term.
In order to find common elements within the syllabi of the EUAFAs a Working Group was established in 1998. The ultimate goal was to identify portions of the individual training and education programs that might be suitable for common training and/or mutual exchanges
The EUAFA Working Group is responsible for the following tasks: view the member nations syllabi and focus on common fields within which to provide a basis for future co-operation in training and cadet exchanges; gather, update and disseminate the Databank (available at the website, and updated by the appropriate Working Group member) containing:
In order to achieve a better understanding regarding main areas of training in each country’s officer training syllabus and from which common areas of interest could be found: