General Vicenzo Camporini on Tuesday took over as Italy's new Chief of Defense Staff promising to follow a policy of ''continuity and transformation''.
The former Air Force Chief of Staff replaces Admiral Giampaola Di Paola, who is set to become chairman of NATO's Military Committee later this year.
Speaking at a ceremony marking the change in command, Gen. Camporini explained that his goal was to ''bring together two concepts which appear to be opposites: continuity and transformation''.
He went on to explain that there will be ''continuity in regards to commitment and dedication, to ensure day-to-day operative efficiency,'' while there will be transformation ''in our ability to adapt performance and structures to cultural, historic, political and technological evolution''.
''And this will be done not by following events, but by anticipating trends in order to respond not to yesterday's needs but those of tomorrow,'' he added.
Speaking to the press on the sidelines of Tuesday's ceremony, Gen. Camporini said it was important for the armed forces to be ''ready, efficient and effective'' in order to ''provide the proper contribution which, in respect of Article 11 of our Constitution, our nation wants and must offer to the international community''.
Article 11 states that Italy repudiates war as a means of suppressing the freedom of others and as a means to resolve international controversies.
It also states that Italy promotes peace and justice between nations and lends its support to international organizations engaged in this goal.
General Camporini is a command pilot with experience in 24 different aircraft including F-104, Tornado, AMX, heavy transport aircraft and helicopters.
Born in 1946, he graduated from both the Italian Air Force Academy and the NATO Defence College.
In April 2001 Camporini was appointed Deputy Chief of Defence General Staff, a position he held until February 2004 when he was designated President of the Italian Centre for High Defence Studies.
General Camporini was made the Air Force Chief of Staff in the Italian Air Force on September 20th of that year.
Admiral Di Paola will begin his duties at NATO next June.
He will serve as chief military advisor to NATO Secretary-General Jaap De Hoop Scheffer, liaising with NATO chiefs of defense and overseeing NATO operations in Kosovo and Afghanistan.
Aside from being the Military Committee's chief representative, Admiral Di Paola will also be the senior military spokesperson for the Alliance in contacts with media.
