From March 26 to April 18, 2025, Mare Aperto 2025 takes place, the most important training exercise of the Naval Squadron and the entire Italian Navy. The event, which this year will be held in the spring edition only, involves over 6,000 military personnel from 8 NATO allied countries, with the participation of more than 120 assets including naval units, submarines, aircraft, helicopters, and unmanned vehicles, as well as observers from 21 foreign navies.
The activities develop in an area of over 600,000 km², which includes national seas, international waters, and strategic Italian coasts such as Lazio, Sardinia, Sicily, extending to the island of Crete and the Balearic Islands. The central Mediterranean is once again the focus of air-naval operations, confirming the geopolitical importance of this quadrant.
A joint and multi-domain exercise
A vast Italian joint force component participates in “Mare Aperto 2025”, composed of units from the Italian Navy, departments of the Italian Army, assets of the Italian Air Force, as well as operators from the Carabinieri, the Guardia di Finanza, and the Coast Guard. The exercise also involves land maneuver units, both embarked and deployed on the ground, operating in a realistic and complex scenario that simulates all forms of threat in naval, underwater, aerial, and terrestrial environments.
During the event, there will also be specialized activities such as ITA MINEX, the main Italian exercise dedicated to mine warfare, which will also see the participation of minehunters from NATO's permanent forces.
For the first time, an Advanced Medical Post will be activated in the port of Civitavecchia, increasing the logistical and health component of the operations, while a naval force under the EUROMARFOR flag (the European Maritime Force composed of Italy, France, Spain, and Portugal) will be deployed to contribute to the management of the forces present and the complexity of the operational scenario.
Planning: multinational coordination and operational efficiency
The preparation of Mare Aperto 2025 is the result of careful planning that began months earlier and was realized in the recent Initial Planning Conference (IPC), held at the Naval Squadron Command in Chief in Santa Rosa. The meeting was attended by over 100 representatives from the involved nations, both in person and via videoconference. The event allowed for refining the training scenario, defining the exercise areas, and optimizing coordination among the actors involved.
Admiral Aurelio De Carolis, Commander in Chief of the Naval Squadron, emphasized:
“Mare Aperto represents a pivotal moment of each training year, offering crews the opportunity to grow and realistically confront themselves within a scenario extremely aligned with the challenges of today's world.”
The operational debut of Nave Trieste
The amphibious component of the exercise is completed by the simultaneous participation of the three units of the LPD line: Nave San Marco, Nave San Giorgio, and Nave San Giusto. The units transport departments of the Brigata Marina San Marco and the Reggimento Lagunari “Serenissima”, engaged in landing operations in Sardinia, along with logistical and operational supports.
Towards an increasingly modern and interoperable Navy
The presence of the entire LPD line in the exercise confirms the high level of technical-maintenance efficiency achieved by the Italian Navy and its national industry. The inclusion of Nave Trieste in the squadron represents only the beginning of an ambitious modernization program of the amphibious component, which includes the arrival of new LCM (landing craft) and, in the future, the new LPD-X, equipped with greater load capacity and operational versatility.
A central role for Italy in the Mediterranean
“Mare Aperto 2025” demonstrates the centrality of Italy's role in Mediterranean security, both as an operational leader within NATO and as a reference point for multilateral cooperations such as EUROMARFOR. Italy confirms its ability to project power, coordinate allies, and face high-complexity scenarios, strengthening its strategic positioning in international maritime defense.
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