Enlisted service members form the real backbone of the Italian Navy. They comprise:
- personnel on active duty
- one-year service (VFP 1) volunteers
- four- year service (VFP 4) volunteers. At the end of their four year-service the Enlisted sailors have the opportunity to become regular service members and reach higher ranks (up to Captain).
They are technical specialists employed onboard Naval Units and ashore or in operational forces, where they perform day-to-day tasks in a large variety of fields: electronics, computer science, engineering, etc.
The enlisted personnel are trained at the Taranto- and La Maddalena- based training establishments.
