The exercise ended today Emerald Move 2016 (ERMO 16) held in the central Tyrrhenian Sea and at the Capo Teulada range from 3 to 14 October.
An international training event attended by the Navies of the nations that adhere to the European Amphibious Initiative (EAI), under the coordination of the Italian Navy, with a deployment of over 3.000 men and women engaged on board the naval units and on land.
Italy participated with the aircraft carrier Cavour, headquarters of command and control of the constituted amphibious force, the FREMM Carabiniere, the amphibious vessel St. George, the submarine Venuti, 400 riflemen of the San Marco marine brigade and 71 lagooners of the lagoon regiment Serene Venice.
France took part with the LHD FS Mistral and 200 marines, the Netherlands with the LPD HNLMS Rottherdam and 117 marines, Spain with the LHD SPS Juan Carlos I, the FFG SPS Numancia and 400 marines, Turkey with the LST Osmangazi and 80 Marines, the United Kingdom with 28 Marines, Portugal with 90 Marines, Belgium with 121 Marines and Finland and Sweden with staff.
The training event was also enriched by the presence of an air component composed of 9 aircraft AV8B Plus (Italian 3 and Spanish 6) and 18 helicopters of various types boarded on naval units.
The exercise was divided into two phases: the first characterized by activities scheduled with increasing difficulty ended on October 7 with the visit of the Chief of Defense, General Claudio Graziano, the Navy Chief of Staff, the Admiral of team Valter Girardelli and of the civil and military authorities of the participating countries, accompanied by the commander in chief of the naval team, team admiral Donato Marzano.
During the second phase, structured on a simulated crisis scenario, the task force amphibious trained tactically with the aim of strengthening interoperability, integration and sharing of operational procedures. Simulated multiple types of humanitarian, political and military missions such as the evacuation of non-combatants (Non-combatant Evacuation Operation - NEO), in favor of the civilian population in case of deterioration of the internal security conditions caused by natural disasters, and the operation of evacuation of wounded from crisis area (Casualty Evacuation - CASEVAC) conducted only with the aid of equipped aircraft.
The objectives achieved and the missions completed constitute irrefutable proof of efficiency of task force amphibious, able to support itself with the support provided by ships at sea, and underline an excellent degree of integration and a marked interoperability between all the committed military personnel coming from ten different European countries.
