The US and Italian navies will expand bilateral relations through integrated training and operations, bolstering maritime security among NATO territories.
The US Sixth Fleet, US Naval Forces Europe-Africa, and the Italian Leadership at Sea recently demonstrated their interoperability through maritime drills in the American fleet’s area of operations.
“The US Navy and Italian Navy have an incredibly strong relationship and partnership, and integrating into one another’s strike groups is a prime example of this,” Italian Navy Vice Adm. Aurelio De Carolis said. “We look forward to continuing to work closely with our American Allies.”
Italian forces joined the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS George H.W. Bush, which has been working closely with the ITS Caio Duilio, ITS Carabiniere, and ITS Andrea Doria.
The Andrea Doria is currently heading the carrier strike group, executing warfare commander duties. Italy’s ITS Cavour also worked with the George H.W. Bush Carrier Strike Group in recent multi-carrier operations.
“It’s clear to me that within our current operating area, there is a significant warfighting capability and capacity advantage that comes from the way we operate with our partners and allies by comparison to others operating independently,” US Rear Admiral Dennis Velez said.
“We demonstrated it during recent multi-carrier operations with the Italian carrier Cavour and the French carrier Charles de Gaulle recently in the Ionian Sea. In my 31 years in the Navy, I’ve never seen such tight, strong relationships among NATO partners at sea.”
“The U.S. Navy and Italian Navy have an incredibly strong relationship and partnership, and integrating into one another’s strike groups is a prime example of this.”
– @ItalianNavy Vice Adm. Aurelio De CarolisRead more: https://t.co/AmwVVZULH8 https://t.co/qhkYxWPn4M
— U.S. Naval Forces Europe-Africa/U.S. 6th Fleet (@USNavyEurope) December 19, 2022
