The Raiders, also known by the acronym COMSUBIN, are an outstanding and universally appreciated component of the Italian Navy. They are extremely effective in performing unconventional operations at sea and ashore, that may be carried out either autonomously or in cooperation with other Italian and international equivalent forces. Within the Italian Navy and in the joint context, COMSUBIN represents a crucial element which plays a key role in optimizing the force capabilities, particularly in crises response operations.

In the recent humanitarian missions in Somalia and Rwanda, the COMSUBIN Green Berets were called to accomplish reconnaissance/intelligence gathering, rescue and evacuation of civilian personnel, operations which require great professional skills and a demanding training.

Headquartered in the naval base of Varignano, La Spezia, this Elite Force directly reports to the Chief of the Italian Navy General Staff. Commanded by an Admiral, COMSUBIN is organized into the following groups: the GOI (Operational Raiders Group), the GOS (Operational Divers Group) and the School Center (Gruppo Scuole) which is responsible for the training of divers for the Italian Navy, Army, Air Force and State Police. The Force is also assisted by the Special Naval Group, responsible for three support ships (Anteo, Proteo and Cavezzale) and two diving support vessels (Mario Marino and Alcide Pedretti), used to transport COMSUBIN personnel and equipment. Moreover, the Research and Studies Center is responsible for the design and testing of special equipment and materials.

The institutional duties performed by COMSUBIN include:

•Attacks on naval and merchant ships while in port or underway, using different weapon systems;
• Attacks on port and/or coastal civilian and military installations and infrastructures up to 40 km from the coast;
• Counter-terrorism missions, especially on ships, merchant vessels and infrastructures designed to evacuate hostages;
• Infiltration and long-term stays in hostile territory for reconnaissance/intelligence missions, and naval gunfire support.

This wide range of tasks can be performed only after a demanding training designed to prepare these men as frogmen, pilots of insidious craft, skilled paratroopers and expert rock-climbers. Besides, they must demonstrate their ability to carry out raids in stressful and uncomfortable environments.

The training schedule include:

•Surface and underwater swimming;
• Naval craft seamanship;
• Assault on moored and underway naval craft,
• Deployment from helicopters employing various means;
• Daily and nightly activities in hostile and austere environment;
• Escape from submerged submarines;
• Employment of automatic and commanded parachute;
• Employment of arms, explosives and special weapons;
• Capability to survive in an unknown hostile territory for long.
• Land vehicles operator.

This elite all-volunteer force operates in total logistic and operational autonomy, a characteristic which enables these specialists to be rapidly deployed worldwide in a variety of scenarios: in peacetime, in emergency situations causing unrest, national or international crises or in natural disasters of enormous proportions. Over the past years, a noteworthy support has been provided in disaster relief operations in the aftermath of Florence flood, Friuli and Irpinia earthquakes and Mount Etna state of emergency.

Moreover, COMSUBIN has taken part in the following operations:

-Lebanon, Somalia and Albania carrying out escort and patrol missions;
- Adriatic Sea and Persian Gulf 2, performing inspections on board merchant vessels to enforce the UN embargo against the former Yugoslav Republic and Iran, respectively;
- Horn of Africa carrying out re-embarkation of Italian military personnel;
- Rwanda evacuating Westerners from missionary outposts during the civil war;
- Somalia in support of the Operation United Shield.