From 5 to 11 May 2025, the Central Mediterranean will host Mediterranean Strike 25, an advanced exercise involving the Navy and Royal Navy's Carrier Strike Groups (CSG).
The exercise represents a strategic opportunity to test the operational capabilities of both CSGs. For the Navy, this path began in 2024 with the confrontation with the French aircraft carrier group Charles de Gaulle within the perimeter of the French exercise Polaris 24, connected to the Offshore, which main training event of the naval team.
The preparation of Mediterranean Strike 25 It started in September 2024 with an initial exploratory visit to the Command in Chief of the Naval Fleet (CINCNAV) by the joint training and exercise planning staff (JTEPS) of the United Kingdom. The planning phase accelerated the following November with the initial planning conference (IPC) at the maritime warfare center of Portsmouth, followed by main planning conference (MPC) held in March 2025 at CINCNAV.
In addition to the aircraft carrier groups, the exercise will involve assets from the Royal Air Force (RAF) and the Italian Air Force (AM).
Mediterranean Strike 25 represents a significant step in strengthening cooperation between the two Navies and an opportunity to refine the operational capabilities of the aircraft carrier groups in complex scenarios. The interaction between the two CSGs will allow to refine the techniques to counter any type of threat, increasing interoperability and operational readiness in increasingly dynamic maritime security contexts.
