Torrejón's Combined Air Operations Centre pays tribute to Italy in its 'Festa della Reppublica'.

• Ambassador of the transalpine country in Madrid assisted to the event.

The Italian Ambassador, Giuseppe Buccino Grimaldi, has visited the NATO Combined Air Operations Centre located in Torrejón de Ardoz (CAOCT) to join the Italian contingent in the celebration of its National Day. The Centre has permanently a large representation of Italian military personnel, framed in the international operational structure.

The representation was received on arrival by the CAOCT Commander-in-Chief, Lieutenant General Juan Pablo Sánchez de Lara, and then joined the military ceremony in commemoration of Italy's National Day. The 2nd of June is celebrated as the ‘Festa della Repubblica italiana’ (Feast of the Italian Republic), in commemoration of the constitutional referendum of 1946, when Italian citizens chose which form of government (monarchy or republic) they wanted for their country after the Second World War.

In his speech, General Sánchez de Lara highlighted the importance of Italy in NATO, as one of its founding members back in 1949. In addition, he gave the example of the transalpine country as a representative of the values that define the Alliance, especially that of solidarity, by sharing with other countries such as Albania, Slovenia and Montenegro the direct task of defending their airspace with its own resources from Italian territory; or with temporary deployments in the Black Sea or Baltic area as part of the Enhanced Air Policing (eAP). The objective is to maintain a solid and robust posture on NATO's eastern flank.