12 June 2023 marked the beginning of the international exercise ADRION 2023 (Adriatic Ionian Initiatives) with the arrival in Taranto of the units Oriku (ALB), Karathanasis (GRE), Omis (CRO) and Grecale (ITA), together with the Montenegrin and Slovenian delegations for an important regional cooperation initiative for the security of the Mediterranean.
The ADRION exercise is part of the activities promoted by Ancona interministerial conference on the security and development of the countries of the Ionian-Adriatic region of 2000. At the end of this conference, the Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the participating Nations signed the "Ancona Declaration", which reaffirmed the common will of the coastal countries to develop regional cooperation in order to guarantee security and political and economic stability of the area.
The exercise was managed by an international staff made up of officers and non-commissioned officers from all participating nations and was developed in two phases: the first, called CAX (Computer Assisted Exercise), including an information seminar and the conduct of activities at the simulator of the Navy training center and a second one, called LIVEX (Live Exercise), during which activities at sea were developed.
The ADRION 2023 exercise was therefore carried out with the conduct of close maneuvers at sea to develop the sensitivity of the commanders and crews, search and rescue activities (SAR), boarding operations, hot shooting with artillery systems. These major events enabled participants to improve coordination and operational capabilities.
ADRION 2023 represented an important commitment of the nations involved to promote interoperability and cooperation in the Adriatic-Ionian region, with the aim of tackling common challenges together and guaranteeing maritime safety. This initiative aims to consolidate ties of friendship and foster greater mutual understanding between the participating nations, a real test of operational capabilities and collaboration between the countries involved. Through dialogue, joint training and the sharing of operational and tactical procedures, an important signal has been given for stability and security in the Adriatic-Ionian region and in the Mediterranean as a whole.
