In yesterday's live broadcast on YouTube, BrigataFolgore.net hosted General C.A. (ret.) Marco Bertolini, National President of ANPDI, for an episode dedicated to a highly anticipated topic in the parachuting world: the return to ANPDI jumps, made possible by the approval of circular 7044 by the Army General Staff, after almost six years of suspension.
The evening was led by Paratrooper Alessandro Generotti, administrator of BrigataFolgore.net, alongside raider Danilo Amelotti, in an intense and content-rich discussion on the present and future of the National Association of Italian Paratroopers.
“Circular 7044 is an act of justice”
Delving into the topic, it was recalled how since 2020 ANPDI had been deprived of the essential regulatory tool to continue its parachuting activity of military interest. With the new circular 7044, approved by the Army General Staff, this tool is returned to the Association.
For General Bertolini, the significance of this step is very clear: “we consider it an act of justice”.
In his speech, the ANPDI President retraced the long history of the Association, founded in 1946 by the will of Italian paratroopers who had fought during the war, often on opposing fronts, but capable in the post-war period of coming together in a spirit of national reconciliation. Since then, parachuting activity has always been an integral part of ANPDI's identity, not as a mere sport, but as a concrete expression of values, traditions, and military culture.
The return to the possibility of performing jumps with hemispherical parachutes from civilian aircraft is therefore experienced not only as the recovery of an operational capability but also as the restoration of a historical and moral dignity that the Association had claimed for years.
Six years of battle
One of the most important parts of the evening concerned the long journey that led to this result. Bertolini explained that it was a real “desert crossing”, lasting almost six years.
The ANPDI initially tried to resolve the issue through dialogue with the competent institutions, but faced with the obstacles encountered, it also had to take the legal route. The President recalled the appeals filed, the ruling of the Administrative Court, and subsequently that of the Council of State, which confirmed the legitimacy of the Association's position.
According to Bertolini, it was not just about defending an activity, but something deeper: the dignity of ANPDI, its members, and the very military tradition it represents. A battle, he emphasized, fought with the awareness of having history, regulations, and the concrete value of what the Association has been able to transmit to generations of Italians on its side.
The value of static line jumps
General Bertolini recalled how the static line jump represents, par excellence, the operational military jump. For this reason, the return to the possibility of using it has a profound, concrete, and far from symbolic meaning for ANPDI. Rather than asking what changes, he observed, it might even be more useful to clarify what does not change: the relationship with the Armed Forces does not change, and in particular with the Army, which indeed emerges strengthened from this new arrangement.
The static line, therefore, is not a secondary or outdated element, but remains the foundation of parachute training, the starting point of any serious path. In this perspective, Bertolini also emphasized how ANPDI parachuting cannot be confused with the mere search for thrill or adrenaline. It is not about “doing a somersault,” but about undertaking a formative, ethical, and cultural path, capable of introducing a precise idea of discipline, responsibility, and service.
Safety, training, and materials
Another topic addressed during the broadcast was safety. Bertolini explained how jumping always remains an activity with a margin of risk, but it is a calculated risk, addressed through three fundamental elements: regulations, training, and materials.
Safety, he said, is built with rigorous procedures, with training that makes correct reactions automatic, and with the continuous evolution of materials, which are much more advanced today than in the past. The paratrooper, at the moment of leaving the aircraft, is alone: for this, awareness, preparation, and a sense of responsibility are needed.
Also in this passage, the marked difference emerged throughout the episode between parachuting experienced as a spectacle or mere adrenaline experience and that understood instead as a school of character, discipline, and self-mastery.
The future of ANPDI and the issue of youth
The discussion also touched on the future and generational change. Bertolini acknowledged that this is one of the most important challenges not only for ANPDI but for all military associations and more generally for the entire Italian society.
The President recalled how over the years the Association has represented a concrete bridge between the civilian world and the military world, allowing many young people to approach the values of airborne troops and, in many cases, to then pursue a career in the Armed Forces. The suspension of parachuting activity inevitably also affected this function.
With the return of the jump, ANPDI now aims to reactivate this virtuous circuit, but also to bring back many former paratroopers who, although having served or frequented that world, have drifted away over the years. The goal, Bertolini explained, is not to chase numbers for numbers' sake, but to build quality quantity, that is, presence and participation with spirit.
Military associations and military reserve
One of the last major topics addressed was the relationship between military associations and the possible construction of a modern reserve force.
On this point, Bertolini developed a very broad reflection. The end of compulsory military service, he explained, did not only mean the loss of a recruitment system, but also the disappearance of a true organized reserve. In the past, young people who completed military service were placed in complementary structures, ready to be recalled in case of need. Today this mechanism no longer exists.
For years, according to the General, there was the illusion that war was a reality now distant. But recent conflicts, and in particular the war in Ukraine, show that this is not the case. Technology matters, but it does not replace the human factor: soldiers are still needed, trained men are needed, reserves are needed.
In this context, military associations could represent a useful resource, provided they manage to involve people still capable of providing a concrete contribution. Not necessarily in direct combat roles, but also in support functions, rear security, logistics, and general support to the defense system.
When courses will resume
Among the audience's questions, one of the most anticipated concerned the timing for the resumption of courses. The General explained that constant work is already underway with the Paratrooper Brigade, CAPAR, and the Army General Staff to define the schedule of necessary activities.
Circular 7044, he clarified, is not a simple automatic reactivation of the past: it rather represents the basis for building something even more solid and structured. Precisely for this reason, adjustments, methodological updates, and technical steps will be needed, involving military and civilian professionals tasked with giving full operability to the new setup.
Bertolini expressed himself as confident: according to what was expressed during the broadcast, the situation could return to normal by the end of the year.
A strengthened bond with the Army and thanks to the Chief of Army Staff, Gen. C.A. Carmine Masiello
As emphasized by the National President, the relationship between ANPDI and the Army thus emerges from this affair further strengthened.
Bertolini openly thanked the Army General Staff and the Chief of Army Staff, General Carmine Masiello, for the attention and energy employed in solving the problem "A very important spur". Among the most significant signals in this direction, the ANPDI President also recalled the Chief of Army Staff's desire that the next Association's celebration, scheduled for October 23 in Pisa, allows ANPDI units to parade alongside military units, thus also strengthening the symbolic bond between the Association and the Army.
An evening of great participation
The live broadcast recorded strong audience participation and numerous messages of affection, esteem, and closeness. A clear signal of how the figure of General Bertolini continues to represent a reference for the parachuting world, but also more generally for many members and sympathizers of the Armed Forces.
The evening clearly conveyed a message: the return to ANPDI jumps was not presented as a mere technical restoration, but as the recovery of a historical, value-based, and identity continuity.
A continuity that looks to the past, but also, above all, to the future.
For information on how to join the National Association of Italian Paratroopers, we invite you to visit the official website www.assopar.it.
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