After the official confirmation of the sale of the last two FREMM frigates (Schergat's target e White) to Egypt (when instead they were destined to join the Italian fleet), in the Defense circles the question is what the intentions of the current parliamentary majority are regarding the role that the Navy will have to assume, both at national level than in future international scenarios.
The current situation of our Navy - both as regards the on-line units and the crews embarked - is certainly not rosy.
As for the combat vessel, the Navy has the pressing need to permanently retire the class Mistral (opening photo). To date, of the eight units that entered service between 1983 and 1985, only four frigates remain operational (Grecale, Libeccio, I hope e Zephyr), with all the critical issues of ships with almost forty years of service (moreover they have been conceptually overcome for years, as their primary task was to act as a escort unit for the allied ship).
In addition, there is a request, made for some years now, to replace the two class destroyers Durand de la Penne (Durand de la Penne and Mimbelli). Although relatively "young" (they entered service in 1993), they are affected by an obsolete design and on-board equipment. The intentions of the Navy, at least until last year, were to replace the two fighters with as many DDG but with a displacement of about 10.000 tons.
The two class destroyers Doria (Andrea Doria - photos - e Caio Duilio), on balance, they did not prove to be a happy choice (the inadequate installation of the 127/64 LW piece in the bow was entirely inexplicable), also considering the huge final cost (about 1,5 billion euros). These two units are often used in patrol tasks in the vicinity of crisis areas, such as the Gulf of Sirte, however they are often free of anti-ship missiles (TESEO Mk2 Block iv) and with a supply of halved surface-air missiles (ASTER-15/30).
The flight component of the Navy is forced to undergo the "attacks" by the Air Force, more determined than ever to put under its umbrella everything that flies. Indeed, the decision to assign 15 F-35B STOVLs to the Blue Weapon - with consequent weakening of the Navy's air capabilities - remains all absurd, all supported by the guilty complicity of the Defense Ministers on duty.
The 8 class frigates Bergamini (the FREMM left) and the new class Thaon di Revel (16 planned units, 7 of which have already been approved and 3 to be financed) will certainly not be enough to support the strategic role that our country should assume in the international context.
It seems that political forces have consciously chosen to reduce the Navy to a sort of Coast Guard, weakening it in their combat capabilities. On the contrary, the other Marines of the nations bordering the Mediterranean Sea are strengthening, having these clearly their geopolitical role.
We remind readers that Maritime Power is a broad-based strategic concept that also embraces a nation's industrial, political and resilience capabilities (the fleet is only part of the whole). Capabilities that Turkey has been fielding for years, unfortunately, to the detriment of Italian interests in the Mediterranean.
Photo: Marina Military
