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Italian Navy Demonstrates its Joint Force Projection Capabilities During Exercise Mare Aperto 25.
The 25th edition of Exercise Mare Aperto, the Italian Navy’s main annual training event, concluded on April 18, 2025, after three weeks of intensive activity in the Central Mediterranean. This major event provided a realistic testing ground for Italy’s full naval capabilities and confirmed its role as a key actor within NATO’s multinational structures. Through innovation, complex scenarios, and joint as well as international participation, Mare Aperto 25 enhanced the operational integration, resilience, and force projection capacity of the Italian Navy in a strategic context marked by increasing maritime instability.
The exercise scenario was primarily set in the Tyrrhenian Sea, around the Sardinian coast and the Rome region, and included riverine operations along the Tiber. (Picture source: Italian Navy)
Conducted by the Marina Militare, Mare Aperto 25 mobilized a composite fleet of more than 100 assets, including surface ships, submarines, aircraft, helicopters, aerial and maritime unmanned systems. Over 6,000 military personnel from eight NATO countries took part, along with observers from 27 international navies. The exercise involved all elements of the Italian Navy, from naval and submarine crews to embarked air wings, the San Marco Marine Brigade, command staffs, communication centers, and logistical and technical support services. Held in parallel with the enhanced vigilance activity Neptune Strike, led by STRIKFORNATO, Mare Aperto 25 highlighted the Italian Navy’s integration into the allied framework and its ability to operate in high-intensity environments.
The exercise scenario was primarily set in the Tyrrhenian Sea, around the Sardinian coast and the Rome region, and included riverine operations along the Tiber. It tested planning and execution capabilities in line with NATO procedures, under a demanding operational tempo and increasing complexity that required constant adaptation. This contributed to strengthening professional competencies and interoperability among national and allied forces. Particular attention was paid to integrating real environmental conditions and variable weather to assess the flexibility and endurance of the deployed units.
One of the key innovations of this edition was the introduction of new naval and aerial targets for live-fire exercises, including nighttime drills, which increased the realism of operations. Italian frigates, destroyers, and multi-purpose patrol ships conducted live-fire training with Leonardo 127 mm, Super Rapido, and Compatto naval guns against targets such as Banshee Whirlwind, J80, Snipes, and Hammerhead Mk II drones, provided by UK company QinetiQ. Electronic warfare played a significant role, with the use of missile seeker simulators and the activation of countermeasures to address complex threats. The experimental use of alternative communication systems in the absence of satellite support tested the resilience and autonomy of operational networks under degraded connectivity, underscoring the growing importance of cyber and space domains in modern operations.
Mare Aperto 25 also marked the first operational participation of the amphibious assault ship Trieste, delivered in December 2024, which operated alongside the aircraft carrier Cavour. This cooperation represented a key step forward in Italy’s expeditionary capacity, now capable of deploying a full Expeditionary Strike Group (ESG) composed of a Carrier Strike Group equipped with fifth-generation F-35B aircraft and an Amphibious Task Group centered on new-generation platforms. Amphibious operations, conducted under the Distributed Maritime Operations (DMO) concept, involved the San Marco Brigade and the Italian Army’s Pozzuolo del Friuli Brigade, including coastal landings at Capo Teulada in Sardinia and riverine missions near Rome.
This cooperation represented a key step forward in Italy’s expeditionary capacity, now capable of deploying a full Expeditionary Strike Group (ESG) composed of a Carrier Strike Group equipped with fifth-generation F-35B aircraft and an Amphibious Task Group centered on new-generation platforms (Picture source: Italian Navy)
The exercise mobilized a substantial fleet, including the destroyers Doria, Duilio, and Mimbelli; several Bergamini-class FREMM frigates; Thaon di Revel-class multi-purpose patrol ships; U212A and upgraded Sauro-class submarines; logistic support ships Vulcano and Etna; Gaeta-class minehunters; and Gorgona-class auxiliary vessels. These were joined by allied units, including Turkish frigates Kemalreis and Gaziantep, the Spanish Álvaro de Bazán frigate, and minehunters from Turkey, Spain, Greece, France, and Italy, operating under the Standing NATO Maritime Group 2 (SNMG2), the Standing NATO Mine Counter Measures Group 2 (SNMCMG2), and the European Maritime Force (EUROMARFOR).
Special attention was given to the protection of national underwater infrastructure, particularly through ITAMINEX 2025, which focused on mine countermeasures. Both manned and unmanned systems were deployed in training scenarios and real clearance operations, leading to the discovery of 13 unexploded ordnance items dating back to World War II. Four of these have already been safely neutralized, with clearance operations for the remaining items ongoing in coordination with local authorities.
The cognitive domain featured prominently, with the introduction of wargaming as a tool for analysis and decision-making support. An experimental use of simulated social media platforms was also implemented to expose crews and command personnel to information environment dynamics. This initiative, involving research centers such as CASD, Ce.S.I., and Ce.S.Mar, as well as university students, reflects the Navy’s effort to address hybrid threats and foster interaction between operational and academic fields.
The joint and interagency dimension was also emphasized, with contributions from the Air Force, Army, Carabinieri, Guardia di Finanza, Coast Guard, and numerous civilian actors. A large-scale CBRN exercise simulating a terrorist attack on a civilian ferry took place from April 8 to 14 in the Tyrrhenian Sea and Rome region, involving specialized intervention teams, civil protection agencies, firefighters, and health services in handling casualties and neutralizing the chemical threat.
From a logistical perspective, Mare Aperto 25 demonstrated effective coordination between operations and support functions, including at-sea resupply of fuel, materials, and ammunition, and the involvement of the Logistic Command and the national defense industry. These outcomes confirm the Italian Navy’s ability to generate and sustain a complex, networked maritime force capable of responding to current and future challenges.
Mare Aperto 25 established itself as a model of joint, interagency, and international cooperation, while also serving as a testing ground for emerging capabilities across naval, aerial, land, cyber, space, and cognitive domains. The exercise reaffirmed the Italian Navy’s role as a credible actor in international security and stability, committed to applying the lessons learned to enhance its operational effectiveness.