The exercise was completed in the last few days Hydra 2018, which involved the Units of the Special Operations (OS) basin and within which the interoperability between the OS components of the Italian Army was perfected, placed under the "lead" of the Army Special Forces Command (COMFOSE), and the dedicated assets of the Italian Air Force (AM), with the primary purpose of exercising and validating an Integrated Intervention Force, in the specific capabilities of the Departments and support of COMFOSE, in the conduct of operations in a scenario of Counter Terrorism (CT ).
The exercise involved the areas of Central-Southern Italy between Tuscany, Campania and Calabria, where the Units of the OS sector and the AM assets, provided by the 46 ^ Air Brigade of Pisa, operated with criteria based on the maximum possible realism, carrying out various training moments through which it was possible to coordinate, in addition to the aforementioned components of the Special Forces (FS), also support units such as the 3rd Helicopter Regiment for Special Operations and the 11th Transmission Regiment.
COMFOSE is the Intermediate Command which has the task of overseeing all the training and training activities of the four Departments that depend on it, the 9th Parachute Assault Regiment "Col Moschin", the 185th Reconnaissance Regiment Acquisition of "Folgore" Objectives , the 4th “Ranger” Alpine Parachute Regiment and the 28th “Pavia” Operational Communications Regiment.
In his speech, Division General Nicola Zanelli, commander of the Joint Forces Command for Special Forces Operations (COFS), who came on a visit to supervise all the salient activities of the exercise, addressed to the Commander of COMFOSE, Brigadier General Ivan Caruso, and to the large audience of military authorities who intervened, he expressed his deep satisfaction with the level of operational efficiency achieved by the staff of the OS sector, who was able to interact in perfect synergy with the aeronautical components, highlighting the high interaction capacity of the Special Forces. Finally, the precious logistical support provided by the 9th Aero-Stormo stationed at the Military Airport of Grazzanise (CE), where the "Forward Operating Base" (FOB) was built, projected into permissive territory, by which were carried out the insertions in the Calabrian territory of the FS assets through the third dimension.
