Admiral Caffio and IAI Vice-President Nones commented on the multinational exercise. The event marks a significant step in the expansion of Rome’s presence and its commitment to international maritime security. It also highlights the growing role of Rome in naval diplomacy
Pitch Black 2024. On Friday, August 2, 2024, Pitch Black, a biennial multinational inter-force exercise, concluded in Australia. This year marked the first time Italy participated by sending its flagship, the aircraft carrier Cavour, and its carrier strike group, which were engaged in a global deployment in the Indo-Pacific.
- The international exercise, which began on July 12 at the Australian base in Darwin, involved 20 nations.
- “The participation of the Italian Navy in this exercise confirms Italy’s growing attention to the international scenario, particularly in the Indo-Pacific region,” stated Michele Nones, Vice President of the Institute of International Affairs (IAI), a think tank in Rome, Italy, in an interview with our sister website Airpress/Formiche.
The expansion of Italian ambitions in the Indo-Pacific. Italy’s significant presence in the Pitch Black 2024 exercise is part of the broader context of Italy’s new activism in the Indian Ocean.
- Retired Admiral Fabio Caffio told Airpress/Formiche that Italy is appearing for the first time in distant seas, confirming the Navy’s role in naval diplomacy and presence in maritime spaces. National maritime operators must guarantee freedom of navigation in these areas.
- Furthermore, on the issue of freedom of navigation in the South China Sea, Admiral Caffio stated, “Our position is one of cooperation with the group of allies against Chinese maritime hegemonic claims, but we do not support the protest actions taken by the United States at sea.
The closer cooperation with Japan. At the conclusion of Pitch Black 2024, Italian Air Force aircraft and personnel will relocate to Misawa, Japan to join forces with the Japan Air Self-Defense Force for Rising Sun 2024.
- Admiral Caffio emphasised the longstanding strong relationship between Italy and Japan, including many shared interests, which now includes a military dimension.
- For instance, in August 2023, the Air Force and the Japanese Self-Defense Force (JASDF) conducted a joint military exercise.
- As a reminder, Japan has been a strategic partner since 2022 and is collaborating with Italy and the United Kingdom on the Global Combat Air Programme to develop a sixth-generation fighter.
