Lieutenant Colonel Giovanni Zanier joined the Italian Air Force in 1994, attending the Italian Air Force Academy in Pozzuoli (Italy) as ROTC pilot. He completed the Basic and Advance Pilot Training course at the 61st Air Brigade – Galatina AFB – in 1996, before attending the AM-X OCU in Amendola AFB. As an operative pilot with 103rd AM-X SQN Istrana AFB (1997-2003 and 2006-2010) and as an instructor with 101st AM-X OCU SQN Amendola AFB (2003-2006) he participated in the flying Ops over Bosnia and Kosovo and in the Red Flag Exercise at Nellis AFB (NV). He has the Forward Air Controller course, TLP flying and Comao courses and Nato Joint Combat Operations course among others.

In 2010 he served as Chief of Anti-Surface Air Operation Cell in Herat (Afghanistan) contributing to the ISAF XI NATO operation, prior to his assignment to ENJJPT (Euro-Nato Joint Jet Pilot Training) program as a T-38 Instructor at Sheppard AFB (TX) in the 90th FTS. In 2013 he returned to Galatina AFB serving in the 213rd Sqn and 214th Sqn as MB-339 Instructor Pilot. From 2020 to 2022 he served in Italian Air Force HQ, Rome prior to his assignment at JAPCC.

He has flown more than 5000 hours in AM-X, AM-XT, T-38C, MB339A and MB339CD.