Lieutenant Colonel Luca Giordano

Chief of the SAOS/PR Training Section Special Operations Air Brigade - Italian Air Force

Lt. Col. Luca Giordano, born in Naples in 1980, is a senior Italian Air Force officer and helicopter pilot with extensive operational, command, and staff experience in national and international missions. A graduate of the Air Force Academy, he holds a Degree and a Master’s Degree in Aeronautical Sciences, along with two second-level Master’s Degrees in Leadership and Strategic Analysis, and in Strategic-Military International Studies. Trained through the ENJJPT program at Sheppard AFB (USA) and qualified on multiple fixed- and rotary-wing platforms, he has accumulated over 3,000 flight hours, including combat flight time, and has served in key operational theaters such as Afghanistan (ISAF) and Lebanon (UNIFIL). His career includes positions as pilot and Flight Commander within the 21st Squadron, operational staff assignments, and command of the 21st Squadron from 2021 to 2023. He has completed a broad range of advanced courses in Personnel Recovery, Special Air Operations, flight safety, and instructional methodology, earning qualifications such as Rescue Mission Commander, Weapons Instructor, and Production Test Personnel. Since 2025, he has served within the 1st Special Operations Air Brigade as Chief of the SAOS/PR Training Section, overseeing the development and standardization of Special Air Operations and Personnel Recovery training. Lt. Col. Giordano is the recipient of multiple national and international decorations, including awards for operations in Afghanistan and Lebanon, the Gold Aeronautical Long Navigation Medal, the Fighter Branch Gold Distinctive Badge (3rd Grade), and the Carnegie Hero Fund Silver Medal. He is married and has two children.