Commander Massimiliano Buzzoni was commissioned into the Italian Navy in 1991 as a mine warfare officer. After graduating from military pilot training in 1995, he began his pilot career flying Anti-Submarine Warfare Helicopters, later supporting amphibious and special operations forces as an embarked pilot for the Italian Navy Fleet until 2020. An experienced pilot with over 5,000 flying hours, he has qualified as a flight instructor on AB-212ASW, AB 412 IT Coast Guard and SH/MH-90. He was certified as an aviation safety officer at the US Navy Aviation Safety School in Pensacola, Florida. His operational experience includes UN-led, UNIFIL, UNMEE, and NATO-led missions, such as Operation Unified Protector and ISAF in Afghanistan. From 2021 until 2024, CDR Buzzoni served as the Deputy F-35 Requirement and Operation Officer for the JSF Program headquartered at the Ministry of Defence in Rome. He is currently assigned to JAPCC as a Subject Matter Expert in Maritime and Carrier Air Operations Rotary Wing.