Technological development in the military is becoming increasingly important to the maritime domain, and ...
Technological development in the military is becoming increasingly important to the maritime domain, and thus the relative mastery of the use of innovative tools can prove crucial to the effectiveness and very survival of military assets engaged in naval operations.
The Italian Navy plays a fundamental role in defense of the national territory and for the many economic interests that depend on the import and export of goods, energy resources and raw materials by sea.
Thus, the Italian Navy is among the most technologically advanced in the world, benefiting from targeted investments and high-level national industrial capabilities, which allow it to have European Multi-Mission Frigates (FREMMs), which are particularly appreciated in the NATO environment especially in their anti-submarine configuration.
The Navy's more recently built ships have a higher average tonnage than those dating from the Cold War, not only because of 'increased overall fleet and individual ship capabilities, but also because of the increasingly evident need to operate outside the Mediterranean and Red Sea
Since the end of the Cold War, the Navy has placed increasing importance on those expeditionary capabilities, which ensure the ability to project forces to ever greater distances - including in the context of the many international missions in which the armed forces have participated. For example, this capability, set to grow further in the coming years, resulted in the Garibaldi aircraft carrier playing an important role during the recent NATO exercise 'Cold Response 22' in Norway.
To date, thanks to the state-of-the-art Cavour aircraft carrier and the investment on the F-35B short takeoff and vertical landing aircraft, Italy is one of only three countries in the world (and the only one in the EU) capable of operating fifth-generation combat aircraft from an aircraft carrier - besides the United States and Britain.
An aircraft carrier group represents an extremely useful and versatile asset not only in the operational field but also as a political and diplomatic tool. Both the United Kingdom and France in recent years have involved naval units from partner countries in their respective carrier groups deployed in the Indo-Pacific, fostering improved interoperability among allies within exercises and operations conducted under the auspices of those navies with aircraft carriers.
There is certainly a need for reflection in Italy that would lead to the development of a more strategic approach to the use of the Cavour ship as a force multiplier, taking full advantage of the possibility of relieving the Navy's burden by periodically deploying a carrier group also consisting of allied ships to the wider Mediterranean and beyond, with the associated benefits in terms of both interoperability and naval diplomacy toward operational and regional partners.
The Italian Navy is a balanced force, composed of a multitude of assets and systems: ships and submarines, helicopters, aircraft and land-based assets. Technological progress in recent decades has also led to the entry into service of remotely piloted air and underwater assets, which, together with surface assets, are destined to assume an increasingly important role in the naval domain.
Although small and medium-sized unmanned systems will play an increasingly prominent role in naval operations in both qualitative and quantitative terms, large platforms such as ships and submarines will still remain central to the operational capabilities of major navies for a long time to come. In this regard, the Navy is aiming not only at modernizing capabilities but also at achieving a high level of integration between even very different platforms and combat systems (e.g., ships, submarines, helicopters, and remotely piloted vehicles) in a multi-domain and system-of-systems perspective.
In Future Combat Naval System 2035 (FCNS 2035), the Navy listed among the most important goals as strengthening the armed force's ability to adapt more dynamically to technological innovation, which is already accelerating rapidly. A more dynamic approach will also be needed in procurement and maintenance practices.
It is essential that Italy continue to invest in innovation in the naval domain to ensure the effectiveness of the military instrument in the face of a decisive technological acceleration in the defense field. It is also important that national and European innovation processes proceed hand in hand, intercepting the incentives for industrial cooperation put in place by the EU and related opportunities for cooperation with partners in Europe.
Italy-like all European countries-must try to make the cost of developing new and disruptive technologies efficient through cooperation with partners near and far.
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