Waves of influence. The Italian Navy is not merely a military force—it is a tool of national strategic projection, says Admiral Enrico Credendino, the Chief of the Italian Navy.
- The Navy represents Italy’s presence in the Mediterranean, which has once again become central, where crises, global competition, and hybrid threats intersect, said Credendino, laying out the challenge in a recent interview with Corriere della Sera.
- June 10, Italian Navy Day, coincides this year with the return to Genoa of the training ship Amerigo Vespucci, marking the conclusion of its global tour—a projection of Italy’s soft, hard, and sharp power.
- “Today, we cannot ignore the military innovations we see on the Ukrainian battlefield,” Credendino told Corriere della Sera. “We want to highlight that by recalling how, on June 10, 1918, Italian torpedo boats were the cutting-edge weapons that sank the Austro-Hungarian battleship Szent István.”
The new operational environment. Following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the Italian Navy had to track up to 15 Russian warships and three submarines in the Mediterranean—one of them capable of launching ballistic missiles.
- These units are based in Tartus, Syria. Still, Moscow is also seeking to establish a presence in Libya, specifically in Derna, in the country’s east, which does not recognise the UN-backed government in Tripoli.
- “Tartus lacks dry-dock capacity—Russia needs another logistical node in the Mediterranean,” Credendino notes, warning that a base in Libya “would be a disaster for us.”
- In recent weeks, Khalifa Haftar—who controls eastern Libya—showcased Russian (and Chinese) weaponry in a military parade, reflecting an agreement with Moscow dating back to 2017.
- “Our ships off Libya are almost always shadowed by Russian spy vessels,” says Credendino, “often disguised as fishing boats but equipped with sensors and antennas.”
Italy’s response. Rome has reinforced its naval presence as “Russia is not a direct threat to Italy, but it is a serious one—enough to require us to deploy our FREMM-class anti-submarine frigates”, Credendino recalls.
- “The US naval group operating in the Mediterranean demanded their presence,” he adds.
- Interoperability with the US Navy has also deepened: “We’ve moved from full alliance to full interchangeability. Our ships operate under US command, and theirs under ours.”
Red Sea as a case study. Credendino points to Operation Aspides, which took place in the Red Sea, the Indian Ocean, and the Gulf, where the Italian destroyer Caio Duilio coordinated with US F-16 fighter jets.
- “We are at war in the Red Sea. Our ships have shot down eight Houthi drones, using both artillery and missiles,” he says.
- The area between the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden—defined as part of the Indo-Mediterranean—is a strategic corridor for global trade, vulnerable to sabotage and hybrid threats.
- Italy is on the front line, but increased resources are now essential.
Technological and doctrinal shift. “The Russian ships hit by Ukrainian drones were obsolete,” Credendino notes, but even NATO was caught off guard.
- “We’re now studying how to avoid wasting million-euro missiles on drones that cost a fraction of that.”
- A major push is underway to develop naval drones and anti-drone systems. A new centre in La Spezia is leading undersea warfare research.
- “We’re developing fibre-optic tethered drones resistant to jamming and swarm drones capable of securing airspace. We’re also studying digital cable systems that carry sensitive data and can detect nearby vessels,” he explains.
Long-term vision. The Trieste, the largest ship delivered to the Italian Navy since World War II, already carries fighter jets and multiple types of drones.
- The Navy’s roadmap to 2040 includes equipping all ships with dedicated drone bays, developing a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, and enhancing cyberwarfare capabilities.
Resources and personnel. The Italian government has approved an increase in defence spending from 1.4% to 2% of GDP, in line with NATO targets.
- “My dream is to have more personnel,” Credendino admits.
- The Navy aims to increase its personnel from 28,700 to 39,000 to support global deployments.
The strategic views. “For nearly thirty years after the end of the Cold War, we had grown used to thinking about peacekeeping missions around the world,” concludes Credendino.
- “The underlying assumption was that Europe was safe—but that is no longer the case: war has returned to our doorstep.”
