​As of May 5, units of the Italian Navy are at sea, in the Ionian Sea between Puglia and Sicily, participating in Mediterranean Strike 25, a high-end international exercise involving the Carrier Strike Groups (CSG) of the Italian Navy and the Royal Navy, with support from NATO and seven allied navies.

The Cavour aircraft carrier, with its Carrier Air Wing—including 8 F-35Bs (6 from the Italian Navy and 2 from the Italian Air Force) and 5 AV-8Bs—is operating alongside multi-role and ASW frigates Alpino, Bergamini, and Carabiniere, the destroyer Mimbelli, the offshore patrol vessel Borsini, and the logistic support ship Vulcano. These units form the core of the Italian Carrier Strike Group, integrated with the Portuguese frigate Bartolomeu Dias.

They will train alongside the UK Carrier Strike Group, led by the aircraft carrier HMS Prince of Wales, and including the destroyer HMS Dauntless, the frigate HMS Richmond, joined by USS Truxtun and USS The Sullivans from the United States, HNOMS Amundsen and HNOMS Maud from Norway, HMCS Ville de Québec from Canada, and Méndez Núñez from Spain. Also participating in support roles are assets from the Standing NATO Maritime Group Two (SNMG-2), currently under Turkish command.

In total, Med Strike 25 involves 21 ships, 2 submarines, 41 jets (including 26 fifth-generation aircraft), 19 helicopters, 10 maritime patrol aircraft, and more than 8,000 personnel.

“The joint participation of the Italian and UK Carrier Strike Groups in Mediterranean Strike 25 confirms the strategic value of cooperation among allied navies," said admiral Aurelio De Carolis, Commander in Chief of the Italian Fleet and of the European Maritime Force (EUROMARFOR), speaking from Cavour, where he is overseeing and addressing the exercise. “This is a concrete opportunity to strengthen naval synergy, enhance the operational capabilities of Carrier Strike Groups, and consolidate interoperability in complex, high-realism scenarios—key to addressing today's maritime security challenges. Operating side by side means sharing experiences, capabilities, and procedures, projecting a credible, integrated maritime force ready to respond swiftly and effectively wherever a crisis may occur. It is through activities such as this that our navies tangibly contribute to safeguarding freedom of navigation, ensuring international stability, and defending common interests across all domains—land, sea, and air—through advanced technologies, intensive training, and the full valorization of the human factor."

The exercise features high-intensity training activities based on a multidimensional approach, aiming to maintain interoperability and integration among participating forces at the highest levels.
During the LIVEX phase, the focus will be on countering both conventional and asymmetric threats.

“The interaction between the two Carrier Strike Groups," added Rear Admiral Giancarlo Ciappina, Commander of the Italian CSG, “represents both a step forward from the results achieved during the Indo-Pacific deployment—when we reached Initial Operating Capability (IOC) with fifth-generation aircraft—and a chance to refine and strengthen our ability to respond to any type of threat. In such a scenario, we will increase both interoperability and operational readiness in increasingly dynamic maritime security contexts. Specifically, we are training to keep the Multinational CSG, led by Italy and the UK with support from NATO and partners, at a high level of readiness and interoperability—to be able to react quickly and decisively under any circumstances, ensuring maximum operational effectiveness."

The Carrier Strike Group is one of the three fundamental pillars of the Italian Navy's advanced military capabilities.
At its core lies the aircraft carrier, with embarked air assets capable of defending the fleet, asserting control at sea, projecting power ashore, and supporting diplomatic influence.
Within this framework, the F-35B represents the only fifth-generation maritime air capability currently operational in Europe, making it a strategic asset for defending national interests in present and future operational scenarios.

An aircraft carrier, fully integrated into a larger force structure and enhanced by next-generation air capabilities, remains a key component of naval power. This ensures the Navy can carry out its missions effectively, playing a crucial political-military and strategic role in guaranteeing freedom of navigation and safeguarding national interests.