The War Zone – As part of the European Operation Aspides, Italy has become the fifth country to engage Houthi threats over the Red Sea.

War on the Rocks – Amidst Washington’s push for European support in the Indo-Pacific, has Italy proven overly eager to pivot east? Faced with the choice between directly supporting U.S. efforts to counter Beijing in the region or concentrating resources on emerging threats closer to home, Italy, as one of the most active contributors to U.S.- or NATO-led military initiatives, has opted for the former. Without much debate, Italy has expanded its military presence in the Indo-Pacific, initiating significant collaborations with various regional countries, and deploying naval units to the region. As Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni recently announced, this effort will intensify in 2024, when Rome deploys its aircraft carrier strike group to the area.

Naval News – Italy is seeking a new, more capable maritime patrol aircraft to deliver anti-submarine warfare output to counter an increasing submarine threat in the Mediterranean Sea. The aim is to acquire this capability by the end of the decade.

Naval News – Alongside other European countries, Italy plans to deploy its Navy and potentially a carrier strike group to the Indo-Pacific to display commitment to the region.

Naval News – The Italian Ministry of Defence announced on 19 December that the Bergamini-class FREMM Frigate Virginio Fasan (F 591) was set to leave “in the next few hours” the Mediterranean Sea to reach the Red Sea and contribute to the protection of the international trade under the national Operation “Mediterraneo Sicuro”.

Covert Shores – Italy’s elite naval special forces, COMSUBIN (aka Incursori / GOI), is extremely secretive. And their swimmer delivery vehicles (SDVs) and submarines are among their best kept secrets. Only now, after it has been retired, has the BIR-87 been displayed to the public. 

(Thanks to Alain)

Naval News – Among the new programmes which are launched to achieve these goals in the changing worldwide geostrategic scenarios, the DPP 2023-25 highlights increasing attention towards the underwater dimension with the project to enforce the anti-submarine warfare (ASW) and the Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) capabilities through emerging and disruptive technologies, with specific reference to the robotics and unmanned systems.

Defense News – France and Italy will see major mid-life upgrades to their Horizon-class frigates after co-contractors Eurosam and Naviris were awarded a €1.5 billion ($1.7 billion) deal earlier this month.

Naval News – Naval News spoke to Fincantieri at SeaFuture to get an overview of the progress of some of the Marina Militare’s key programmes: Additional FREMMs, PPX, DDX, LxD, U212 NFS…

Guardian – Italian special forces have stormed a cargo ship sailing from Turkey to France after about 15 people armed with knives attempted to hijack the vessel.

Naval News – The Italian Navy’s second Thaon di Revel-class PPA Francesco Morosini left La Spezia naval base on the evening of 6 April for a deployment of five months in the Asia-Pacific region. The crew of the second Thaon di Revel-class PPA will call in fifteen ports of fourteen countries across the area up to Japan and South Korea to promote freedom of navigation and the respect of international law of the sea alongside the conduction of naval diplomacy and maritime security missions. The Italian Navy vessel will also participate in Operations Atalanta and Agenor, the later under the European-led Maritime Awareness in the Strait of Hormuz.

El Snorkel – Currently, there are five women in the Italian Armed Forces who have obtained the qualification of Submarine, including Subtenant (STV) Chiara Criscitiello, whom I had the opportunity to interview. (In Spanish)

(Thanks to Alain)

Defense News – Italian submarines are to monitor and deter attacks on undersea internet cables in the Mediterranean Sea as part of a new deal between the Italian Navy and the country’s largest private cable provider.

USNI News – The United Kingdom Royal Navy aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth (R08) and Italian carrier ITS Cavour (CVH550) on Monday performed a cross-decking and integration exercise of their embarked F-35B Lightning II Joint Strike Fighters south east of Sicily in the Mediterranean, making Italy the second nation after the United States to operate the aircraft off the U.K. warship.

StrategyPage – Italy is going to convert one of its two aircraft carriers, the 35-year-old Garibaldi, to a platform for launching SLVs (Satellite Launch Vehicle) rockets that put satellites into orbit.

War Zone – The Italian Navy’s flagship aircraft carrier is about to begin operations with the F-35B Joint Strike Fighter off the U.S. East Coast.

Naval News – The Italian Navy aircraft carrier ITS Cavour is set to reach Naval Station Norfolk in mid-February to start F-35B STOVL aircraft qualifications with the U.S. Marine Corps.

Naval News – The recent release of Italian MoD’s Multi-year Planning Document (Documento Programmatico Pluriennale – DPP) 2020-2022 and the Parliament hearings of the Minister of Defence Lorenzo Guerini and of the Chief of Italian Navy (Marina Militare), Vice Admiral Giuseppe Cavo Dragone, provide first details on new shipbuilding and joint/naval weapon system programmes.

Naval News – The Italian Navy’s Carlo Bergamini-class frigate “Federico Martinengo” (F596) recently foiled two pirate attacks in the Gulf of Guinea with the help of a VBSS team of the San Marco Marine Brigade. The FREMM GP frigate currently operates in the region to protect national interests and maritime routes

Defense News – A long-running tussle between Italy’s Air Force and Navy over the F35-B jet is coming to a head as deadlines approach for deciding who gets the next aircraft to roll off the production line and where it will be based.

CIMSEC – Italy must stand ready, as one of the most advanced countries on the basin, to guarantee freedom of navigation and the protection of its national interests in order to guarantee respect for international law.

– Forbes – Italy’s Near Future Submarine (NFS) design will be Italian in nature.

(Thanks to Alain)

– USNI News – The Mediterranean Sea has a host of security challenges: Russian submarine activity in the Eastern Med, instability in Syria and Libya, as well as the flow of migrants and illicit traffic throughout the region. The Standing NATO Maritime Group 2 is tasked with addressing them all.

– USNI News – All across the Mediterranean Sea, more non-NATO countries are fielding submarines while NATO allies are increasing the size of their own undersea fleets. Those submarines are also becoming harder to find. All told, the ability for NATO to find, track and identify submarines is not just a matter of defense against Russia, but a matter of basic traffic safety on and under the Mediterranean.

– Inside Over – It seems that an important first step has been taken towards the renewal and enlargement of the underwater component of the Italian Navy. (In Italian)

(Thanks to Alain)