Italy is looking to increase its Indo-Pacific engagement this year with plans to participate in the region’s largest naval exercise and through the deployment of a carrier strike group.
While these plans are still pending approval from Rome, Italian Naval Attaché Captain Marco Bagni highlighted them as one of the ways European powers are engaging with the Indo-Pacific region at the Surface Navy Association’s (SNA) annual symposium on Tuesday.
Alongside other European naval attachés, including those from France, the United Kingdom and Norway, Marco highlighted the Italian Navy’s increasing focus outside the Mediterranean, its traditional area of responsibility. With around 2% of Italy’s economy coming from the sea, the attache emphasized the importance of keeping sea lines of communication open and free under the rules-based international order.
In 2023, the Italian Navy deployed the Thaon di Revel-class PPA Francesco Morosini to the Indo-Pacific for a six-month deployment. Aside from showing Rome’s increased commitment to the region, the offshore patrol vessel also offered a glimpse at Italian naval products to Asian countries during its deployment. Last year, Naval News had the opportunity to board the Francesco Morosini in Singapore during IMDEX. The training ship Amerigo Vespucci also departed for a 20-month-long worldwide deployment last year and is slated to visit several ports in the Pacific and Indian oceans in 2024.
At SNA, Bagni confirmed that the Italian Navy will participate in Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) 2024. Hosted by the U.S. Navy, RIMPAC occurs biannually between June and July and is the world’s largest naval exercise. While the exercise mostly caters to Indo-Pacific countries, with 2014’s RIMPAC even including China, European states such as France and Germany have attended. While this year will be the first to include Rome’s direct participation, Italian Navy observers have been present during the last few iterations of the drill.
Bagni also added that, pending “political approval” from Rome, the Italian Navy plans to deploy the Cavour Carrier Strike Group for the first time to the Indo-Pacific this year. While these plans are still pending, he stated that the deployment was “likely.”
“Starting from June 2024, I guess (the) Cavour Carrier Strike Group will be deployed to the Indo-Pacific region for six months. And by the end of the year, she will achieve the F-35 Bravo initial operational capability. Formatively, the deployment in the Indo-Pacific, according to the European Carrier Group Interoperability Initiative Doctrine, could be joined by EU and or partner navies.”
In this planned deployment, the Italian Navy looks to engage with Japan, Australia and the United States, particularly through aviation-based activities such as Australia’s exercise Pitch Black and exchanges with Japan’s new carrier aviation component. This latter cooperation on F-35B operations was mentioned last year by the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force. Similarly to the JMSDF Chief of Staff’s comments, Marco stated that this interaction with the Japanese carrier strike group could “share the Italian Navy’s experience in the F-35B’s fitting on ITS Cavour.”
“Multiple opportunities of interaction and exercise” with the United States Navy and Marine Corps were also mentioned, but not specified.
As the carrier deployment is still under deliberation by Rome, Bagni could not provide further details when asked by Naval News.
