Navy, 24 days of training: ‘Open Sea 2021’ exercise concluded

Twenty-four days of training at sea, for a total of about 4,000 men and women of the Navy, of allied and partner Marines: these are the numbers of the exercise ‘Mare Aperto 2021’ (Ma21), concluded in recent days, which marked the resumption of the training cycle of the Navy after two years of interruption due to the pandemic. The largest Navy exercise saw the participation of 21 ships, including 4 from foreign navies (USA, France, Germany, Turkey), a Naval Group of NATO Readiness Forces, three Navy submarines, four aircraft including AV -8B, P72 and P180 of the Navy, 17 helicopters embarked (including two of the Italian Army) and F2000 aircraft of the Italian Air Force in support of the naval team. Also present were four observers from the foreign navies of Albania, Morocco, Tunisia and Brazil. The naval team has therefore resumed the conduct of the training cycle, engaging with an advanced exercise, after two years of interruption for Covid. The results of the exercise were presented tonight during an event aboard the Cavour aircraft carrier. “Civitavecchia is one of the most important cities of the sea, in this discourse of relaunching the national maritime that the Navy has undertaken with great force especially in the last two years, we want to touch the main sea cities with our ships in order to be able to work together with the community – underlined the team admiral Enrico Credendino, commander in chief of the naval team – and remind everyone, from students to the political class, that Italy is a maritime country that lives for the sea and thanks to the sea, whose safety and well-being are closely connected with the sea. Too often we take it for granted or forget about it. ” National Commander of Amphibious Task Forces (CATF), which next year will be NATO’s Projection Readiness Command. A team of national evaluators verified the readiness level of the national Commander Landing Force (Clf) and verified the interoperability capacity with valuable foreign Marine assets, such as the United States, France, Germany and Turkey and with the forces rapid reaction standing of NATO. During ‘Mare Aperto 2021’ the fruitful cooperation already underway with Confitarma was developed, as did the collaboration with the main national universities. In fact, 45 students and teachers from nine different universities participated. Rear Admiral Massimiliano Lauretti said: “‘Open Sea 2021’ is the main exercise of the Navy with which all the special and specialized components of the Armed Force are activated to operate in a realistic environment, to deal with demanding training activities and over a period significant”. The closing with the presentation of the results of the ‘Open Sea 2021’ exercise was an opportunity to launch the 2022 calendar of the Navy. These photos and the opportunity to illustrate, through the lens of the photographer Massimo Sestini, the crew of the Navy and its means: expression of operational components that allow the achievement of strategic objectives for the safety and prosperity of Italy, projecting capacity on the sea and from the sea. The calendar “speaks and tells the projection capacity, the title ‘objectives and projections’ plays on this aspect”, said Rear Admiral Angelo Virdis, head of the Navy’s Public Information and Communication Office during the presentation in Civitavecchia. Through the photos “the precious combination of technology, human factor and training” is told which “allows to realize the aircraft carrier, amphibious and the special forces submarine binomial, that is the raiders”. The calendar has Leonardo as a partner and a charitable purpose in support of the Agostino Gemelli Irccs University Polyclinic Foundation.