Navigating northward, after crossing the parallel 66° 33' 39" N, the Aircraft Carrier Garibaldi and Amphibious Assault Ship San Giorgio sailed through the frozen waters of the Arctic Circle, to participate in Exercise Nordic Response 24. This is an amphibious exercise planned by Norway and led by the staff of the NATO Joint Force Command (JFC) in Norfolk (USA) and Norwegian Joint Headquarters (JHQ).
Training activities were conducted in the Arctic environment from 3 to 14 March, with the aim of validating the Regional Plan Northwest, demonstrating the full integration of Finland and Sweden (countries that joined NATO in 2023 and 2024) into Allied operations.
Exercise Nordic Response is a continuation of the Cold Response, the amphibious exercise that takes place in harsh climates every two years in northern Norway, since 2006. Following NATO's expansion to 32 members, the 'new' Nordic Response has been expanded to include 20,000 troops, 50 naval assets and 110 aircraft from over 14 countries. It is part of a larger NATO exercise called Steadfast Defender 24, which involves - from January to May - a total of 90,000 troops from the 32 Allied countries. It is NATO's largest military exercise since the Cold War and demonstrates the indissoluble bond between NATO Allies in Europe and North America, which has been renewed for 75 years.
This year, amphibious units from Italy, United States, France, Netherlands, United Kingdom, Germany, Finland and Sweden trained together. Immersed in the cold Arctic climate, they deployed to Harstad, a picturesque town nestled in the Norwegian fjords, to conduct amphibious operations through an exercise that involves the activation of Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty signed in Washington DC on April 4, 1949. Article 5 refers to the collective defence clause for the protection of member countries: “The Parties agree that an armed attack against one or more of them in Europe or North America shall be considered an attack against them all […]". Italy participated with Aircraft Carrier Giuseppe Garibaldi under the command of Captain Marco Guerriero, the Amphibious Assault Ship San Giorgio under the command of Captain Eugenio Santoiemma, 3 MH-101 helicopters and 300 riflemen from the San Marco Marine Brigade who took part in the exercise together with a platoon of the Spanish landing force as part of Italian-Spanish cooperation. Among the protagonists of Exercise Nordic Response 24, Royal Canadian Navy Rear Admiral David Patchell and the Italian Navy Rear Admiral Valentino Rinaldi assumed the roles respectively of Commander Joint Task Force (CTF), and Commander Amphibious Task Force - CATF and Commander Littoral Expeditionary Group.
Furthermore, during the exercise, Rear Admiral Massimiliano Grazioso, commander of the San Marco Marine Brigade, assumed the role of Commander Landing Force - CLF, and Rear Admiral Michele Orini, commander of the Third Naval Division, served as Commander Amphibious Task Group - CATG, while on land Colonel Massimiliano Frassero commanded the 2nd Alpine Regiment.
We asked Admiral Valentino Rinaldi some questions.
Admiral, how important is Exercise Nordic Response?
Exercise Nordic Response is a NATO exercise that simulates the invasion of an Allied country and, in accordance with Article 5 of the Atlantic Treaty, the Allies intervene cohesively in this geographical area to recover the territorial integrity of the invaded country, in this case simulated by Norway. Interoperability and integration of many Forces, including those from the nations that recently joined the NATO, is one of the elements that characterise this complex and challenging exercise. Moreover, the multi-domain aspect - a typical feature of the Amphibious Task Force - finds its maximum expression in this exercise where there is complete integration between naval, land, and air dimensions.
How much do the very cold temperatures affect training?
The complexity of the scenario determines the high level of training. The Arctic environment, where temperatures drop below minus 30 degrees Celsius, is a very challenging environment. I like to say that if you know how to do things in this geographical context, you know how to do them in many other parts of the world.
In 2022, during Exercise Cold Response, you assumed the role of Commander Amphibious Task Force - CAFT. Today, you are both Commander Amphibious Task Force - CATF and Commander of the Littoral Expeditionary Group. Could you describe your responsibilities?
My role is to lead, direct, and command the Amphibious Task Force for Exercise Nordic Response 24, which consists of 12 naval assets, 16 helicopters, and approximately 3,000 men and women, of whom over 1,100 are part of the Landing Force. Every day, I ask my personnel and assets to train to operate in extreme weather conditions and to practice using common procedures.
This enables us to operate as a single entity under the banner of the Atlantic Alliance. The 12 naval units under my command include the two Italian ships, both part of our Littoral Expeditionary Group 24: aircraft carrier Giuseppe Garibaldi - the current command and control centre of the Amphibious Task Force, which was already under my command during Exercise Cold Response two years ago - and the Amphibious Assault Ship San Giorgio.
The Littoral Expeditionary Group 24 is an amphibious group composed of personnel and equipment capable of projecting forces from the sea in complete autonomy, even in environments far from our peninsula.
We are truly proud to have deployed in such a prestigious international context this expeditionary, modular, and scalable group of which our nation, one of the few in the world, is equipped.
In three key takeaways, what lessons learned does the Navy bring back to Italy from this exercise?
Operating in the Arctic environment required us to implement "winterization" procedures, which means preparation for extreme cold weather.
Preparing personnel and equipment for such extreme environments is always a great challenge.
In this particular context, the importance of being a single entity with the other forces of the Atlantic Alliance is even more evident: not only training in common procedures and tactics, but also sharing of experiences and advice from those who are accustomed to operating in a given scenario.
In conclusion, I would like to emphasize how, once again, Italy has played a leading role in one of NATO's largest-ever exercises: representing the acme of the entire amphibious force in this exercise has been a moment of significant growth both in terms of command and control capabilities and in the deployment of the Littoral Expeditionary Group.
