The officially begins today Open Sea 25, the largest annual training exercise of the Defense in the maritime field, planned and conducted by the commander in chief of the naval fleet. The operation will involve over 120 vehicles, including naval units, submarines, aircraft, helicopters and unmanned vehicles of underwater, aerial and surface type, with the participation of over 6.000 military personnel from 8 NATO nations and the presence of observers from 21 foreign navies.
For the next three weeks, with the help of members of the Army, Air Force, Carabinieri, Guardia di Finanza and Port Authority, crews and operational units of the Navy will train in the Central Mediterranean, facing complex and highly realistic operational scenarios. The exercise includes an intense training program, with particular attention to countering CBRN (chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear) threats in the maritime dimension and their possible repercussions on land.
In this context, a new facility will be activated at the port of Civitavecchia advanced medical post to manage a simulated health emergency resulting from chemical contamination. The operation will be carried out in close synergy with experts in the field at the joint and inter-agency level, strengthening the ability to respond to multidimensional crisis scenarios.
"The Mare Aperto is an essential test bed for the Naval Squadron that periodically tests interoperability and the ability to act in complex and constantly evolving scenarios: a training model whose effectiveness is also recognized at an international level, as demonstrated by the presence of numerous foreign units and departments. In this 2025 edition we will focus on further strengthening the readiness and cohesion of the forces to intervene to guarantee maritime security and protect national interests", declared the commander in chief of the naval fleet, Admiral Aurelio De Carolis.
The 2025 edition will see the operational debut of the multi-role amphibious assault ship Trieste, the largest military unit built in Italy since the Second World War, which will take over the role of aircraft carrier from Nave Garibaldi after over 40 years of service.
Particular attention will be paid to the underwater dimension, with the use of autonomous underwater and surface vehicles for the protection of critical underwater infrastructures. These activities will be combined with the ITA Minex25, an exercise federated with the Offshore, which will see the participation of national minehunting vessels and the NATO mine countermeasures group (Task Group 441.04).
International components will also participate in the exercise, including the SNMG2 (Standing Nato Maritime Group 2) and the European Maritime Force, activated for the occasion and under Italian leadership until next September.
La Offshore is an exercise of the maritime instrument of Defense that, in addition to integrating elements of all the Armed Forces and Armed Corps of the State, makes use of the contribution of civilian personnel from research centers such as CASD, CESI and CESMAR. The academic involvement is also significant: about 100 students, teachers and tutors from various universities will be embarked on the units of the Naval Squadron, to deepen the strategic role of Defense in national security and trans-regional stability.
